/ 


N.  CW^TB  LIBBAKY. 

UTOPIA; 


OR, 


fy'  THK     HTSTORV 


w 


OK     AN 


EXTINCT    PLANBT 


f 


BY 

AlvKRKD    DENTON    CRIDOE. 


PRICE  15  CENTS. 


o  A  K  L  a;n  d  ,    c  a  L  I  f  o  R  N  I  a  . 

WINCHESTER    &    PEW,    BOOK    AND    JOB    PRINTERS, 

377    TENTH   STREET,  NEAR  BROADWAY. 

18  8  4.. 

Entered  in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Wasliington,  D.  C.  by  Alfred  Denton  Cridge,  in  the  year  1S.S3. 


\ 


•i* 


^"^ATB  IJBRAE" 
UTOPIA; 


'\ana 


OR, 


The   History   ok  an    Kxtincx   Plankt. 


PSYCHOMETRICALLY   OBTAINED 

BY  A.LKRED   DENTON  CRIDQE. 


CHAPTER    I. 


Amplitude  almost  immense, 

With  stars  numerous,  and  every  star  perhaps 

A  world  of  destined  habitation.  Milton. 


I  held  in  my  hand  a  heavy,  black  stone,  not 
larger  than  a  small  orange.  It  was  a  meteorite; 
and  as  I  sat  pondering  over  this  strange  visitor 
from  starry  space,  there  came  before  me  an  oid 
man  of  mild  intelligent  countenance  and  long 
gray  beard.  He  was  clad  in  flowing  robes  of 
blue  and  white;  and  as  I  gazed  on  him  in  won- 
der he  spoke  in  a  strong  and  melodious  voice: 

"  Son  of  Earth,  would  you  know  the  history 
of  the  stone  your  hands  clasp?"  With  eager- 
ness I  replied:  "  Yes,  venerable  father,  it  would 
greatly  please  me  to  learn  the  history  of  this 
sidereal  visitor,  its  nature  and  origin.  What 
was  its  previous  condition  in  this  wonderful 
universe  ?  What  are  the  laws  by  which  it  was 
cast  on  the  surface  of  this  planet  ?  Tell  me 
that  I  may  learn  of  the  laws  of  nature,  the  won- 
ders of  the  universe,  and  the  wisdom  of  the 
Infinite  Being!" 

Smiling  at  my  eagerness  the  sage  replied: 

"  My  son,  law  operates  through  all  the  realms 
of  the  infinite  universe,  from  the  drop  of  water 
with  its  microscopic  life  or  the  grain  of  sand 
on  the  dreary  desert,  to  the  sun  that  gives  you 
life  or  the  comet  that  comes  like  a  dart  of  the 
gods  through  the  heavens.  The  ultimate  of  all 
is  life,  the  highest  form  of  which  is  humanity. 
The  white-capped  mountains,  where  reigns  con- 
tinual winter,  has  microscopic  life  in  its  white 
\  fields  of  resting  snow.     The  dark  and  crunibling 


mine  has  beautiful  fungi  in  its  dripping  rocks 
and  moldering  timbers.  Various  forms  of  life 
are  found  in  the  depths  of  the  ocean  where  man 
cannot  stand,  and  on  the  parched  desert  where 
he  hastens  through  with  death's  signatures  to 
mark  out  his  path.  The  earth,  like  the  tree 
upon  its  mountain-side,  grows  to  maturity,  ages 
and  dies.  So  it  is  with  all  planets  around  your 
parent  sun,  and  with  all  the  infinite  number  of 
planets  in  the  extending  space  of  an  infinite 
universe  ! 

"  The  aim  of  life  on  all  globes  is  to  produce 
humanity,  the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  life,  and 
when  produced  to  perfect.  True  it  is  that  con- 
ditions limit  or  prevent  the  advent  of  humanity 
on  many  sidereal  globes,  as  conditions  prevent 
the  bearing  of  fruit  on  many  trees  that  advance 
toward  fruition  in  a  greater  or  lesser  degree. 
But  life  and  humanity  can  exist  under  many 
conditions;  and  as  nature  has  infinite  time,  hu- 
manity will  come  eventually  where  now  even 
organic  life  cannot  exist. 

"  Would  you  know  me  by  name  ?  I  am  the 
Genius  Psycho,  and  am  able  to  unfold  to  you 
many  things  that  the  wisdom  of  your  sages  has 
not  revealed  to  your  people.  Learn  and  profit 
by  the  lessons  I  will  give  you,  that  your  earth 
may  grow  the  faster  and  the  torch  of  liberty 
shine  the  brighter. 

"  Place  the  stone  you  hold  in  your  hands  to 


Utopia;  or,  the  HistorN   of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


your  forehead  and  you  will  perceive  by  actual 
vision  a  planet  in  the  vigor  of  youth,  thef  pride 
of  maturity  and  the  disintegration  of  old  age." 

Doing  as  the  genius  requested,  in  a  few 
minutes,  following  him,  I  left  the  earth  behind 
and  then  paused  to  look  about  me. 

The  earth  was  a  globe  of  vapor  through  which 
at  intervals  could  be  seen  portions  of  continents 
or  oceans  as  they  came  into  the  sunlight.  For 
sometime  I  remained  without  moving,,  to  accus- 
tom myself  to  the  peculiar  circumstances  and  to 
observe  the  wonders  of  the  heavens  of  which  I 
seemed  to  be  the  center,  with  the  stars  above 
and  around  me.  The  sun  shone  with  a  bright 
light,  yet  we  were  in  darkness.  As  though  in  a 
stream  of  light,  but  having  nothing  for  the  eye 
to  rest  upon  save  the  distant  stars  in  the  galaxy 
of  the  heavens.  A  signal  from  Psycho  and  we 
went  out  into  space  with  the  speed  of  light  at 
will.  As  we  went  we  seemed  to  go  back  in 
time  and  the  heavens  changed  in  appearance. 
The  sun  was  larger  and  brighter;  the  orbits  of 
the  planets  more  extended  and  in  entirely  dif- 
ferent physical  conditions. 

After  going  out  until  at  about  the  distance  of 
the  orbit  of  Saturn,  we  came  within  the  influence 
of  a  small  globe.  We  circled  around  it  some 
time  and  then  penetrated  its  atmosphere.  The 
venerable  Psycho  informed  me  that  this  globe 
was  about  two  thousand  five  hundred  miles  in 
diameter.  I  could  see  that  its  seas  were  small, 
its  mountains  high  and  that  considerable  por- 
tions were  elevated  plateaus. 

"  This  is  a  world,"  said  the  sage,  "  that  had 
an  orbit  more  oblong  than  most  planets,  and 
being  smaller  than  the  earth,  passed  more  rap- 
idly through  the  various  phases  of  planetary  life. 
It  had  many  natural  disadvantages  to  contend 
with  compared  to  your  world,  and  but  few  ad- 
vantageous conditions  above  your  own.  You 
have  the  power  to  go  back  or  forward  in  time, 
at  will,  and  thereby  to  trace  the  progress  of  hu- 
manity on  this  globe  from  its  commencement 
to  a  civilization  that,  in  spite  of  many  obstacles, 
far  exceeded  that  reached  at  present  on  your 
earth.  But  your  planet  will  have  a  far  longer 
lease  of  life  than  had  this.  Her  fiery  heart  will 
beat  for  many  ages  to  come,  and  your  people 
pass  to  a  stage  of  civilization  as  far  transcending 
t-heir  present  condition  as  the  life  of  angels  does 
that  of  cannibals." 


As  we  approached  nearer,  signs  of  population 
in  many  places  could  be  seen.  The  cities  spread 
out  along  valleys  or  over  plains;  their  houses 
were  large,  with  wide  streets  and  much  open 
space  between.  Psycho  led  me  over  populous 
plains,  beautiful  cities,  barren  plateaus  and  rug- 
ged mountains,  to  the  vicinity  of  a  small  inland 
town. 

We  walked  along  a  broad  highway,  evidently 
made  of  artificial  stone,  toward  the  town  on  the 
farther  side  of  a  deep  canyon,  over  which  there 
was  a  massive  stone  bridge  of  a  high  grade  of 
architecture.  On  the  farther  side  of  the  bridge 
commenced  vineyards,  orchards  and  fields  of 
grain.  ^ 

I  noticed  that  the  veins  and  midribs  of  the  >^ 
leaves  of  most  of  the  plants  werqjfcjl,  and  also 
that  many  leaves  were  red  as  well.  The  vines 
were  trained  to  stout  stakes,  and  standing  sev- 
eral feet  from  the  grounci  before  branching  out; 
their  leaves  were  thick  and  dark  green  in  color. 
The  grapes,  red  and  black,  were  large  and  in 
bunches  of  many  pounds;  but  I  considered  the 
taste  inferior  to  the  California  muscat.  The 
trees,  rarely  over  ten  feet  high  with  dark  thick 
green  leaves,  bore  a  delicious  fruit  which  com- 
bined the  flavor  of  the  peach  and  plum,  and  in 
the  pit  of  which  was  a  sweet  oily  nut. 

But  the  sun  was  rising  over  the  dark  mount- 
ains, and  remarking  to  Psycho  that  its  advent 
was  rather  slow,  he  replied:  "  Many  conditions 
in  your  earth  are  not  reproduced  here  exactly, 
and,  as  it  would  take  you  some  time  to  discover 
some  of  them,  I  will  give  you  these  facts,  and 
others  as  well,  from  time  to  time.  The  days  , 
here  are  equal  to  about  thirty  hours  of  your  i 
time,  and  are  always  very  nearly  of  the  same 
length. 

"  The  axis  of  this  planet  is  nearly  perpendic- 
ular to  the  plane  of  its  orbit;  therefore  the  dif- 
ferences in  degree  of  cold  or  heat,  or  of  the 
length  of  day  or  night,  are  very  slight.  The 
actual  year  is  equal  to  about  thirty-one  of  your 
years;  but  human  life  is  no  longer  here  than  it  is 
possible  to  be  on  your  earth. 

"  The  winter  is  scarcely  perceptible  except  in 
elevated  lands  near  the  poles,  and  the  summer 
is  only  a  time  of  growth.  But  grains  and  fruits 
can  be  raised  at  all  times;  fall,  winter,  spring 
and  summer,  as  you  understand  them  in  your 
temperate  latitudes,  being  unknown.     The  in- 


Utopia;  or,  the  History  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


dividual  here  plants  when  he  likes,  and  reaps 
when  the  crop  is  matured,  the  only  diffeience 
being  that  in  winter  the  time  required  for  the 
maturing  of  grains  and  fruits  is  longer  than  at 
other  times. 

"  You  will  now,"  he  continued,  "  see  a  peo- 
ple but  little  in  advance  in  any  direction  of  your 
own  earth.  They  are  where,  as  far  as  intelli- 
gence and  mechanical  improvements  go,  some 
of  your  people  could  be  now;  but  your  race  will 
not  attain  even  to  this  in  several  generations  in 
all  probability." 

As  the  wise  Psycho  thus  instructed  my  won- 
derj^lg  mind,  we  return  to  the  broad,  smooth 
jptTad,  over  which  a  score  of  our  carriages  could 
/4^/have  been  driven  abreast  with  ease.     From  the 


r-' 


town  came  an«jndividual  in  a  small  four-wheeled 
vehicle  drawn  by  animals;  and  I  observed  with 
great  interest  this  new  sight  of  a  brother  man  in 
an  unknown  planet.  The  animals  drawing  the 
carriage  strike  me  at  once  as  peculiar;  but  little 
larger  than  a  Shetland  pony,  they  stood  like 
deer,  and  were  about  the  color  of  deer  when  in 
what  is  known  as  "  the  gray,"  a  grayish  blue. 
Possessing  some  of  the  characteristics  of  a  horse, 
they  resembled  in  some  respects  the  llamas  of 
South  America.  They  would  be  classed  in  the 
genus  eqiiiis  by  naturalists  of  Earth.  They  were 
driven  in  a  span,  jnilling  the  carriage  by  breast- 
straps,  the  carriage  having  a  very  light  tongue 
between  the  animals.  The  carriage  is  on  four 
low  wheels,  the  front  ones  being  able  to  turn 
under  the  box  of  the  carriage,  as  do  our  hacks 
and  trucks.  It  has  but  one  seat,  and  in  this 
sits  a  man  who  controls  his  team  by  voice  and 
a  single  line.  He  is  a  little  smaller  in  stature 
than  the  average  Caucasian,  with  large  breast, 
his  countenance  denoting  great  intelligence ; 
and  except  for  a  slightly  yellowish  shade  of  the 
face,  would  be  taken  for  a  European,  though 
hard  to  place  in  any  Earth  race.  His  face  is 
devoid  of  beard,  but  his  eyes  are  large  and  dark; 
his  hair,  is  long,  dark  and  fine.  His  nose  is 
rather  thin,  with  large  nostrils,  and  his  mouth 
is  firm.  His  forehead  is  high  and  massive,  [pro- 
jecting well  over  the  eyes.  The  head  covering 
is  a  plain  cloth  cap,  and  his  body  is  clad  in 
loose  garments  of  a  dark  color.  A  light  blue 
cloth,  like  a  blanket  or  toga,  is  over  his  shoul- 
ders, and  is  blown  back  by  the  wind,  so  rapidly 
do  his  fleet  steeds  travel. 


We  proceed  to  the  town,  which  is  built 
around  a  large  oval  square  containing  statues, 
trees  and  a  stone  stand  in  the  center  for  the 
purpose  of  open-air  meetings.  The  houses  are 
large,  generally  of  an  oval  shape,  with  porticos 
nearly  all  round,  being  from  about  one  hundred 
to  four  hundred  feet  long  and  forty  or  fifty  feet 
high,  having  but  two  stories.  The  number  of 
houses  is  not  more  than  twelve  or  fifteen,  and 
each  one  has  broad  grounds,  with  statues,  trees, 
fountains  and  flowers  around  it.  Some  are  built 
of  a  brown  stone,  very  hard,  and  Psycho  tells 
me  made  artificially.  Others  are  white  or  gray, 
but  each  has  beautiful  representations  of  vines 
or  the  walls  in  natural  colors. 

On  the  trees  in  the  park  I  notice  some  birds 
resembling  mourning-doves  but  larger;  and  what 
strikes  me  as  peculiar  is  their  very  long  wings 
and  large  breasts.  I  learn  this  is  caused  by  the 
rarity  of  the  atmosphere  requiring  the  wings  of 
birds  to  be  longer  and  more  powerful  and  thus 
increasing  the  size  of  the  lungs  and  breast. 
Other  and  smaller  birds,  some  with  very  brill- 
iant plumage,  are  flitting  around,  but  their  flight 
is  short. 

To  our  right  is  a  round  building  of  gray  rock 
with  a  dome  of  brown  stone  supporting  a  lower 
room,  also  of  brown  stone  The  high  portico, 
with  beautifully  ornamented  [lillars  and  steps, 
that  look  like  burnished  agate,  make  me  ask  it 
it  is  not  a  temple.  "  Yes,  my  son,"  answered 
Psycho,  "  a  temple  of  science.  It  used  to  be 
the  temple  of  the  sun,  and  that  female  statue 
to  the  right  of  those  steps,  who  bears  a  staff  en- 
twined with  leaves  of  the  vine,  was  the  daughter 
of  the  sun,  and  was  the  female  emblem  of  nat- 
ure and  goddess  of  peace  and  agriculture.  On 
the  other  side  is  the  son  of  the  sun  with  uplift- 
ed axe;  he  was  god  of  war  and  repre.sents  the 
male  emblem  of  nature  or  God.  You  see  they 
are  perfectly  nude;  for  the  human  form  is  here 
looked  upon  as  the  highest  form  of  the  divine, 
and  therefore  not  to  be  concealed.  But  now 
this  temple  is  a  school  and  observatory.  These 
and  many  other  statues  are  no  longer  adored  as 
representations  of  the  divine,  but  only  admired 
for  their  physical  representation  of  the  human 
form.  You  see  the  breast  of  this  god  would  be 
considered  in  your  world  as  being  too  expan- 
sive; but  here,  the  air  being  rare,  it  is  very  nat- 
ural." 


Utopia  J  or,  the  History  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


We  turn  to  a  very  beautiful  house  with  large 
window?  and  a  magnificent  front  portico.  On 
each  side  lie  statues  of  the  llama  animals,  and 
we  wait  to  see  a  young  man  come  up  the  broad 
road  toward  us.  He  is  about  five  and  a  half 
feet  high,  generally  resembling  the  man  we  saw 
in  the  morning.  He  is  dressed  in  loose  yel- 
lowish garments,  with  a  purple  cloak  thrown 
over  his  shoulders.  A  yellow  cap,  like  a  smok- 
ing-cap,  is  on  his  head,  and  his  straight  black 
hair  reaches  down  to  his  shoulders.  As  he  as- 
cends the  steps  he  throws  off  his  cloak,  showing 
a  rich  yellowish  jacket-like  coat  that  is  over  a 
dark  garment  resembling  a  shirt,  trimmed  with 
silver  threads  in  front.  His  lower  limbs  are 
clothed  in  a  baggy  sort  of  trowsers,  also  yellow, 
that  are  wrapped  in  the  legs  of  his  soft,  laced 
boots  or  moccasins,  the  toes  of  which,  for  orna- 
ment, come  to  a  point  and  turn  over  like  a  skate. 
As  he  passes  me  I  find  that  I  am  invisible,  and 
that  Psycho  is  also. 

The  heavy-looking  bronze  doors  roll  back  as 
he  approaches  them,  making  no  noise  whatever; 
and  stopping  to  examine  them  I  find  that  they 
are  of  a  substance  resembling  paper,  and  only 
plated  with  bronze.  An  inner  set  of  doors  also 
glide  silently  into  the  walls  as  the  soft  footsteps 
of  the  well-built  stranger  approach  them.  But 
in  the  apartments  of  the  house  I  hear  a  series  of 
soft  notes,  sounding  like  a  bird's  song,  that  are 
evidently  produced  by  the  opening  of  the  doors. 
We  enter  a  round  hall  or  parlor,  with  pale  blue 
walls,  on  which  are  beautiful  pictures,  evidently 
painted  or  impressed  on  the  wall  itself.  In  the 
center  plays  a  fountain  into  a  basin  of  water 
surrounding  a  strong  pillar.  Plants  and  flowers 
are  outside  of  this,  and  over  the  floor  of  smooth 
stone  laid  like  mosaic-work,  are  scattered  beau- 
tiful mats  of  very  rich  silken  material.  Psycho 
tells  me  that  the  silk  is  a  vegetable  fiber,  and 
from  it,  with  the  hair  of  the  llama-horse  and  the 
feathers  of  birds,  is  made  the  soft  silken  cloak 
and  the  yellow  garments  of  our  stranger.  From 
a  skylight,  by  means  of  mirrors,  the  sunlight  is 
thrown  into  the  room  during  most  of  the  day. 

The  furniture  consists  of  heavy-looking  little 
tables  on  castors,  but  made  entirely  of  paper, 
which  is  bronzed,  silvered,  polished  or  stained 
as  desired.  They  combine  beauty  with  light- 
ness, and  are  so  constructed  that  by  tongues 
and  grooves  they  can  be  combined  into  larger 


tables,  or  even  temporary  couches.  They  are 
very  useful,  and  moving  without  noise,  they  are 
quickly  changed  at  will  without  confusion. 
The  light  chairs  with  low  backs  are  also  con- 
structed of  paper,  and  some  of  them  are  on 
rockers. 

On  the  farther  side  of  the  room  by  the  large 
glass  window  are  seated  several  persons.  Some 
of  them  are  women,  and  in  dress  are  not  to  be 
distinguished  from  the  men  except  in  ornament 
and  quiet  colors.  Some  are  in  loose  dressing- 
gowns,  but  so  also  are  several  men;  some  of  the 
women  have  very  long  hair,  but  here  is  another 
with  hers  rather  short.  The  men  are  mostly 
beardless,  but  one  or  two  have  long  gray  beartis 
and  strikingly  resemble  Psycho  in  appearance. 

The  visitor  is  welcomed  by  the  laying^of  the 
hand  on  his  shoulder,  he  doing  the  same:  and 
some  lay  both  hands  on  his  shoulder,  after 
which  he  seats  himself  on  a  double  chair  or 
settee  beside  a  young  girl,  and  chats  with  her 
and  others.  The  language  is  soft  and  musical, 
its  cadences  striking  the  ear  like  music  and  in 
some  respects  resembling  the  Spanish. 

Many  people  come  in  from  outside  and  from 
the  apartments  adjacent  and  on  the  second 
story.  They  soon  number  about  one  hundred 
grown  persons,  with  possibly  half  that  number 
of  children  over  the  age  of  six,  the  younger 
ones  being  left  in  another  room.  The  several 
little  tables  are  run  together,  and  more  from  a 
recess  added,  until  two  very  large  ones  are 
formed.  On  these  are  placed  dishes  of  fresh, 
dried  and  cooked  fruits,  cooked  grain  and 
bread,  with  milk  and  syrup.  These  are  brought 
in  on  a  wheeled  dumb-waiter  that  runs  noise- 
lessly in  grooves  in  the  floor.  It  is  propelled 
by  electricity,  and  returns  the  second  time  be- 
fore the  tables  are  set.  The  dishes  are  light, 
and  plated  with  a  substance  which  resembles 
glass.  They  are  generally  in  the  form  of  birds, 
leaves  and  fruits,  and  when  dropped  will  not 
break. 

The  people  of  all  ages  now  sit  down  to  the 
simple  morning  meal  and  merrily  chat,  often 
breaking  out  in  song.  One  child,  a  little  girl 
of  about  seven  years,  of  our  time,  is  placed  on 
a  little  table  and  sings  a  very  pretty  song  of  her 
own  composition. 

All  seem  happy;  and  following  them  through 
the  day  I  found  that  out  oi  their  day  of  fifteen 


Utopia  ;  or,  the  History  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


5 


hours  long  they  labored  in  field  or  house  but 
five  or  six.  They  bathed  together  in  warm 
baths  daily,  without  regard  to  sex,  and  in  the 
afternoon  assembled  in  the  park  to  hear  lec- 
tures, or  in  the  temple  to  witness  experiments, 
phenomena,  or  receive  instruction  in  various 
sciences.  Men  and  women  are  on  an  equality 
in  science,  art  and  litarature,  being  unrestricted 
by  sex. 

Marriage  seemed  to  be  with  very  rare  excep- 
tions congenial,  and  monogamic  invariably. 
Divorce  was,  in  this  town  of  probably  three 
thousand  persons,  only  heard  of  three  or  four 
timesjin  a  generation.  Often  children  of  the 
.sftiTie  community  married,  though  generally  the 
/•arties  belonged  to  separate  communities  pre- 
vious to  their  union.  The  ceremony  was  sim- 
ply an  announcement  to  friends  and  consisted 


in  registering  their  names  as  husband  and  wife 
in  a  public  record  for  that  purpose.  Mother- 
hood was  honorable  and  parentage  was  mar- 
riage, but  seductions  were  rare  and  reparation 
made  invariably.  The  father  had  to  support 
his  children,  but  to  such  a  point  of  morality 
had  they  arrived  that  physical  enforcement  of 
their  laws  was  only  in  very  rare  instances  re- 
sorted to. 

After  observing  and  inquiring  for  some  time 
Psycho  said  to  me,  "  Come,  my  son,-  and  trace 
the  progress  of  humanity  from  the  brutal  can- 
nibal to  the  intellectual,  civilized  man.  I  will 
reveal  to  you  the  steps  by  which  man  on  this 
globe  eventually  attained  a  civilization  higher 
than  this.  Come,  learn,  follow,"  I  obeyed 
and  we  turned  southward  with  the  speed  of  the 
eagle. 


CHAPTER  n. 

The  thoughts  that  he  shall  think, 
Shall  not  be  forms  of  stars,  but  stars; 
Not  pictures  pale,  but  Jove  and  Mars. 

Emerson. 

Soon  we  came  to  a  broad  plain  that  stretched  and  mountains  they  were  smaller.  The  valleys 
down  to  the  shores  of  a  long  gulf  that  run  up  were  thickly  populated;  but  the  people  being  in 
from  the  ocean  much  like  the  Mediterranean  large  communities,  the  farms  looked  like  well- 
sea  does  from  the  Atlantic,  but  only  extended  tilled  estates  of  noblemen,  only  there  were  n;' 
about  three  hundred  miles  from  its  strait.  The  cottages  for  the  laborers.  In  each  valley  were 
high  mountains  whose  lower  portions  were  cov-  one  or  more  places  where  the  communities 
ered  with  timber,  ran  seveial  spurs  into  the  fer-  were  closer  together,  forming  villages  or  cities, 
tile  plains  below,  dividing  them  off  into  valleys.  In  the  largest  of  the  villages  nearest  tht. 
The  mountains  also  fed  one  large  river  and  sev-  ocean,  there  bent  in  from  the  gulf  a  bay  of  cor: - 
eral  small  ones  that  curved  through  the  sunny  siderable  size  to  receive  the  great  river  that  I 
valleys  to  the  tideless  and  seldom  stormy  gulf,  afterwards  learned  was  called  the  River  f  . 
The  valleys  varied  in  breadth  from  the  gulf  to  Snow,  from  its  rising  where  perpetual  fields  ci 
the  main  range,  being  from  forty-five  to  sixty  snow  in  the  high  mountains  fed  it. with  coldc>-^ 
miles  and,  in  some  places  having  a   low   range   and  purest  water. 

of  coast  hills.     The  gulf  was  about   twice   that        Here  on  the  east  side  of  this  bay  and  river,  I 
width  but  greatly  varied.  could  see  a  very  large  and  magnificent  city,   ;. 

We  could  see  that  nearly  every  available  spot  being  fully  ten  miles  one  way  by  twelve  miL. 
of  land  was  cultivated  and  that  the  houses  were   the  other. 

large;  evidently  being  communities,  like  those       Across  the  bay  was  another  city  that  was  n'  ' 
in  the  City  of  the  Bridge.  so  large,  and  between  them  ran  scores  of  lor 

High  up  on  the  sides  of  the  foothills  and  narrow  boats  that  moved  very  rapidly  and  wc; 
mountains  that  bounded  the  fertile  valleys  were  propelled  by  electricity.  Between  thetwocitu 
beautiful  orchards,  vineyards  and  fields.  Here  at  one  point  had  been  built  a  bridge  of  high, 
there  were  finely  built  cities,    but    in    the    hills  '  ornamented  stone,  that  was  at  least   five   mik.. 


6 


Utopia  ;  or,  the  History  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


long.  Over  it  ran  carriages,  drawn  by  the 
llama-horses  or  propelled  by  electricity.  Broad 
highways  of  smooth  stone  extended  from  these 
cities  in  many  directions,  and  out  in  the  gulf 
were  many  ships  coming  and  going. 

I  remarked  to  Psycho,  "  What  a  large  city 
this  must  be.  It  is  as  large  as  London;  let  us 
go  down  in  it;  I  should  like  to  see  the  people 
who  appear  so  highly  civilized." 

"  The  two  cities  together  are  about  as  large 
as  London;  but  do  not  contain  so  many  inhab- 
itants," replied  Psycho,  who  continued: 

"These  cities  together  do  not  have  half  a 
million  inhabitants,  as  no  houses  except  public 
buildings  are  allowed  to  be  over  two  stories  in 
hight.  Here  each  building  must  have  around 
it  four  times  the  space  it  occupies,  besides  the 
wide  streets  and  avenues.  In  addition  to  this 
one  block  in  sixteen  is  devoted  to  public  gar- 
dens, parks  or  assembling  squares  for  the  peo- 
ple. Restrain  your  eagerness  to  observe  these 
people;  I  have  much  yet,  my  son,  to  show  you 
before  you  go  among  them." 

We  went  up  the  gulf  to  where  a  river  ran 
through  a  valley  where  the  gulf  had  extended; 
and  here  was  a  city  of  about  four  miles  square, 
and  the  valley  was  as  thickly  inhabited  as  well 
as  cultivated  as  those  along  the  gulf. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  gulf  were  low  hills 
not  very  thickly  inhabited,  containing  but  few 
communities.  This  I  learned  was  because  of 
the  poorness  of  the  soil  and  the  scarcity  of 
water. 

On  still  further  we  came  in  sight  of  a  large 
and  clear  lake  that  was  ninety  miles  long  and 
from  thirty  to  forty  wide,  with  several  beautiful 
islands  set  like  gems  both  in  cluster  and  solitaire 
in  its  western  portion. 

There  also  was  a  beautiful  city  here  where 
the  lake  was  drained  by  a  short  river  running 
into  the  gulf.  A  canal  connected  it  with  the 
ocean,  and  around  the  lake  was  a  rich,  popu- 
lous and  fertile  land.  We  did  not  stop,  how- 
ever, but  continued  to  pass  over  several  coun- 
tries all  highly  civilized.  Psycho  giving  me  con- 
siderable information  about  them  as  we  went. 

Again  we  were  over  the  City  of  the  Gulf,  and 
Psycho  spoke  to  my  eager  ears:  "  You  have 
seen,  son  of  Earth,  that  this  globe  is  inhabited 
by  a  race  of  human  beings  that  are  highly  civ- 
ilized, intelligent  and  progressive.     Want,  fam- 


ine and  war  are  now  unknown;  and  soon  you 
will  go  among  them  and  observe  their  supe- 
rior civilization.  But  first  it  will  be  best  for 
you  to  commence  at  the  beginning  of  human- 
ity on  this  planet,  and  trace  its  progress  from 
age  to  age." 

The  curtain  of  time  rose  as  he  ceased  to 
speak.  Back  into  the  ages  with  faster  and  faster 
speed  turned  the  globe. 

Before  us  at  the  will  of  Psycho,  the  gulf  grew 
wider  and  larger,  and  the  ocean  overspread  the 
plains,  while  the  plateaus  became  covered  with 
verdure.  The  mountains  sank  and  the  globe 
grew  hotter  with  the  heat  of  the  internal  i^res. 
Tro[)ical  vegetation  overspread  the  plains  ancl 
valleys;  and  first  but  a  few  and  then  none  arS 
all  of  the  mountains  reared  their  heads  in  hel- 
mets of  snow. 

.^11  signs  of  civilization  had  disappeared. 

Now  we  descended  to  one  of  the  semitropical 
continents  and  wandered  through  the  dense 
forests  of  that  primeval  time.  Birds  larger  than 
the  ostrich  stalked  by  the  muddy  river,  fishing 
for  the  large  green  frogs  that  were  in  the  slimy 
pools  of  stagnant,  black  water.  Turtles  lurked 
in  the  sun  or  slowly  proceeded  to  their  nests 
in  the  hot  sand-banks.  Gay  colored  birds 
screamed  in  the  branches  of  the  trees,  or  indus- 
triously gathered  insects  in  the  air  or  on  the 
moldering  logs.  Great  serpents  lay  coiled  in 
the  branches,  and  with  glittering  eyes  waited 
for  the  wary  monkey  or  hunted  the  eggs  of  the 
indignant  and  loudly  protesting  birds. 

Great  |)roboscidians  crashed  through  the  for- 
ests, bathed  in  the  shady  pools  or  lay  in  the  ■ 
long  grass  oi  the  glades.  Here  in  the  jungle 
crouched  the  fierce  tiger  or  the  surly  lion. 
From  his  cave  in  the  hill-side  shuffled  the 
mammoth  bear  on  his  way  to  the  banks  of  the 
river  to  slake  his  thirst.  The  fierce-eyed  wolf 
stalked  to  his  den  above  the  gliding  waters, 
and  near  him  crouched  the  fox,  intent,  sly,  and 
watchful.  And  down  the  stream  floated  great 
saurians  like  lifeless  logs. 

But  here  in  the  aeons  of  the  past  was  man, 
rude,  naked,  and  hairy.  In  his  arms  a  rudely 
sharpened  stone  or  a  heavy  club.  Of  large 
frame,  muscular;  his  forehead  low  and  covered 
with  masses  of  dirty,  unkempt  hair;  a  protrud- 
ing jaw  and  skin  of  brown, — truly  he  looks 
hardly  human. 


Utopia  ;  or,  the  History  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


He  lives  in  caves  with  his  tribe  of  perhaps  a 
score  besides  himself.  His  food  is  the  wild 
fruit  and  berries,  the  putrid  flesh  of  animals, 
the  eggs  of  birds,  the  fish  that  swarmed  in  the 
river,  or  anything  alive  or  dead  capable  of  sup- 
porting life. 

If  belated,  a  hollow  tree  or  its  spreading 
branches  will  serve  him  for  a  resting  place  and 
his  stout  club  will  protect  him  from  any  wan- 
dering foe  that  may  desire  to  make  a  meal  of 
him.  When  with  his  sturdy  brother-cavemen 
and  hunger  urged  them  on,  they  would  attack 
even  the  mammoth  cave-bear  and  overpower 
hijn  with  swiftly  hurled  stones  and  swinging 
'Glows  of  clubs.  Or  they  would  lure  the  ele- 
phant by  enraging  him  with  dropping  or  throw- 
ing stones  to  chase  them  into  the  marshes,  where 
they  would  finish  him. 

At  one  period  a  mountain  arose  out  of  the 
plain  and  belched  forth  streams  of  lava  that, 
flowing  into  the  river,  turned  its  course.  Fire 
»vas  before  them.  But  they  did  not  realize  the 
value  of  the  gift;  and,  though  greatly  wondering 
at  the  phenomena,  they  made  no  effort  to  pre- 
serve the  red,  biting  rock,  and  after  a  time  it 
died  out.  At  another  time  lightning  shivered 
a  tall  tree,  and  set  the  dry  leaves  on  fire  around 
it,  as  two  hunters  were  hastening  to  the  tribal 
cave.  They  stopped  to  examine  the  peculiar 
creature  from  the  skies;  for  so  they  regarded  it, 
and  eagerly  watched  it  lick  up  the  leaves  and 
splinters.  One  seeing  its  fondness  for  leaves, 
piled  some  on  the  flames;  and  they  laughed 
with  child-like  glee  when  the  bright  blaze  reached 
up  and  lit  the  gathering  darkness.  But  when 
they  had  gathered  all  the  leaves  in  the  immedi- 
ate vicinity  and  the  strange  animal  had  bitten 
their  fingers  and  toes  several  times,  they  left  it 
to  die  out. 

The  patriarch  of  the  tribe  who  was  bent  with 
age  and  whose  head  was  gray  with  the  marks  of 
time,  was  eagerly  told  of  this  peculiar  adventure 
and  asked  for  its  explanation.  He  remembered 
that  when  a  boy  a  tall  tree  in  the  river  bed  sur- 
rounded by  a  pile  of  drift-wood  had  burst  into 
flame  that  burned  long  after  the  shower  that 
was  descending;  and  so  he  gave  to  his  auditors 
the  wisdom  of  his  fathers  and  some  of  his  own 
opinions.  This,  he  explained,  was  a  sign  of  an- 
ger from  the  Sun-god  at  being  shut  out  from 
the  sight  of  earth,  his  wife,  by  the  clouds;   and 


so  with  shouts  of  thunder  and  fierce  blows  of 
lightning-clubs,  he  forced  his  way  down  in  spite 
of  them.  He  told  them  of  a  youth  who  many 
years  before  had  refused  to  give  a  portion  of 
his  game  to  the  old  men  warriors,  and  while 
leaning  against  a  tree  was  struck  dead  by  the 
incensed  Sun-god  that  roared  in  a  voice  of 
thunder:  "  Die,  ungrateful  and  undutiful  son!" 
and  the  wondering  savages  doubted  not. 

But  at  last  fire  came  as  a  gift  to  stay;  and 
then  commenced  the  upward  progress  of  hu- 
manity. The  aged  with  fire  made  better  weaj)- 
ons,  and  the  warriors  were  enabled  to  kill  the 
savage  beasts  around  them  and  frighten  off 
others.  Agriculture  was  discovered;  at  first  it 
was  but  a  few  seeds  thrust  into  the  ground  with 
the  finger.  Then  a  rude  stick  and  next  a  flint 
hoe  were  used  to  plant  the  scanty  crops,  which, 
when  harvested,  enabled  them  to  keep  starva- 
tion away  from  their  caves  in  time  of  want; 
and  thus  cannibalism  as  a  necessity  was  at  an 
end. 

In  this  world  copper  was  very  scarce,  and  so 
the  people  had  made  considerable  progress  with 
stone  implements  and  weapons  before  they  dis- 
covered a  soft,  whitish,  very  light  metal  to 
work  with.  They  soon  found  iron,  of  which 
mountain  ranges  were  almost  entirely  formed 
in  some  places;  and  then  they  pushed  on  faster 
still. 

The  inquisitiveness  of  man  that  led  him  to 
question  and  to  theorize,  founded  religion. 

The  youths  asked  of  the  old  men  of  the  tribe 
explanations  of  the  things  they  could  not  with 
satisfaction  account  for;  and  the  fathers  of  the 
tribe  answered  to  the  best  of  their  ability  and 
information,  often  making  up  theories  on  the 
spur  of  the  moment  to  conceal  their  ignorance 
from  the  young.  These  theories  became  by 
age  divine  dogmas  that  it  was  dangerous  to  con- 
trovert; and  thus  religions  were  established.  As 
tribes  grew  into  nations  it  became  necessary  to 
specially  instruct  certain  youths  in  the  legends 
of  the  fathers  and  the  traditions  of  their  people; 
and  in  this  way  priesthood  was  established. 
The  great  and  victorious  chief  of  a  hundred 
battles  was  at  death  sorrowed  over;  and  by  the 
hut  fire  or  around  the  council  of  war,  his  great 
deeds,  gradually  growing  in  size  and  valor,  were 
recounted  by  his  people,  his  small  deeds  being 
forgotten.    As  time  went  on  and  tribes  became 


8 


Utopia  ;  or,  the  History  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


nations  a  score  of  names  were  mingled  with  his 
and  his  deeds;  and  thus  exaggerated  were  put 
in  the  life  of  one  man;  and  then  the  next  step 
was  to  deify  such  a  prodigy.  He  was  declared 
to  be  the  son  of  the  Sun-god  and  the  God  of 
man.  Priests  claimed  to  bow  before  him  and 
hold  conversation  with  this  mighty  being.  Thus 
they  obtained  the  direction  of  the  nation  and 
made  themselves  all-powerful  in  its  councils. 

With  the  advent  of  man  came  war;  and  for 
ages  with  torch  and  sword  races  fought  with 
races,  nations  with  nations,  tribes  with  tribes; 
and  the  labor  of  years,  the  civilization  of  cen- 
turies, were  washed  away  in  streams  of  human 
blood.  Whole  continents  were  overwhelmed 
by  invading  armies  who,  after  seizing  on  the 
country,  held  it  until  in  turn  conquered  by 
others  of  their  own  or  of  some  different  race. 
In  various  places  the  light  of  civilization  rose 
high;  but  being  built  in  nearly  every  case  on 
slavery,  blood,  war  and  injustice,  it  fell  but  to 
burn  the  brighter  elsewhere  in  the  centuries 
that  susceeded.  Or  Wrong  seized  upon  the 
temple  of  Progress  and  built  within  a  throne 
guarded  by  Superstition  and  Ignorance;  and 
though  Science  was  chained  by  tyranny  and  in- 
justice, she  still  lived  to  finally  rule  supreme. 

Just  as  it  looked  as  if  a  people  were  ready 
to  take  wings  to  their  feet  and  fly  ahead,  they 
would  be  overrun  by  lower  nations;  or  a  revo- 
lution caused  by  human  slavery  would  reduce 
them  to  semi-barbarism.  Fierce  wars  on  cus- 
toms and  religions  were  waged  by  the  most  pro- 
gressive nations,  the  priests  and  aristocratic  ru- 
lers encouraging  them.  For  by  keeping  the 
people  in  ignorance  and  fighting  some  one  else, 
they  kept  control  of  the  state.  Two  races 
fought  for  a  long  time  on  the  question  of  wheth- 
er the  sun  was  a  god  or  not;  and  if  he  was,  did 
he  have  two  children,  male  and  female,  without 
a  mother  ?  The  one  claimed  that  the  sun  was 
a  god  and  the  father  of  the  male  and  female  in 
the  universe;  the  others  held  that  the  sun  was 
his  own  creator  and  that  the  goddess  of  the 
female  or  spiritual  was  co-equal  and  co-existent 
with  the  god  of  the  male  or  material. 

On  these  questions  the  two  races  in  various 
nations  fought  at  intervals  for  centuries,  and 
when  resting  fought  with  themselves  to  keep  up 
the  art  of  war. 

But  at  last  the  idea  of  Liberty  began  faintly 


and  vaguely  to  illuminate  the  minds  of  advanced 
thinkers.  One  isolated  people,  few  in  numbers, 
early  obtained  for  themselves  a  liberal  form  of 
government  that  we  should  call  republican; 
and  they  retained  it  with  slight  modifications 
century  after  century,  rarely  distubred  by  for- 
eign wars  or  internal  dissensions.  In  the  land 
by  this  gulf,  which  they  called  what  would  mean 
the  Gulf  of  the  East,  the  people  called  them- 
selves free,  and  changed  the  name  of  the  coun- 
try from  its  ancient  name  to  one  that  meant 
Liberia.  Yet  they  held  slaves  of  a  race  of  dark, 
fierce  mountain  people  that  lived  on  the  pla- 
teaus to  the  north;  also  of  alight-skinned  peo- 
ple like  themselves,  and  of  a  brutish,  savage  -, 
race  that  originally  came  from  a  continent  to  , \/ 
the  southeast.  While  they  cheered  for  liberty, 
the  haughty  rich  drove  slaves  in  chariots  and 
lashed  them  like  dogs.  A  man  could  sell  his 
children  or  himself  into  perpetual  slavery;  and 
yet  they  were  free,  according  to  the  statements 
of  their  orators  and  tyrants! 

And  they  had  made  progress  in  mechanics 
and  arts  meanwhile.  Populous  cities,  well-cul- 
tivated fields,  costly  palaces,  grand  temples, 
magnificent  public  buildings,  immense  and  well 
equipped  standing  armies  were  to  be  found  in 
several  countries. 

The  people  to  the  south  of  Liberia  were 
about  equal  in  civilization  with  the  Liberians 
and  though  differing  in  religion,  customs  and 
manners,  they  were  very  progressive.  These 
people  were  tall,  slightly  brown,  very  brave, 
with  [link  eyes  and  very  black  hair.  The  two 
races  ultimately  commingled  so  as  to  be  alike 
in  nearly  every  respect.  But  beside  their 
boasted  civilization  and  liberty  dwelt  barbarism 
and  slavery.  The  well-tilled  fields  were  worked 
by  the  weary  slave  beneath  the  driver's  lash. 
The  populous  cities  were  filled  with  toiling  free 
slaves  and  bond  slaves.  The  temples  and  pal- 
aces were  next  door  to  straw  and  mud  huts;  and 
the  mansion  of  the  land-owner  was  in  sight  of 
the  hovels  of  the  land-worker.  Toil  and  sla- 
very, luxury  and  ease,  privation  and  waste,  made 
startling  and  significant  contrasts. 

While  the  rich  reveled  in  costly  dinners  and 
rioted  in  extravagance  otherwise  the  poor  lived 
on  a  few  roots  and  boiled  grains  or  starved  by 
thousands  in  their  cheerless  hovels.  The  mas- 
sive temples  and  statues  were  reared  by   toiling 


Utopia;  or,  the  History  cJf 'ArHEx'rmti^r  Plai^t^  *--  ^  ^'^JI^jl.^^^ 


slaves  who  lived  in  rude  shelters  of  sticks  and 
mud  around  them.  Ignorance  among  the  slaves 
and  lower  classes  was  encouraged;  vice,  disease 
and  famine  came  in  to  keep  it  company. 

To  the  north  of  Liberia,  the  dark  Arab  moun- 
tain people  lived  in  tents  or  rude  walled  cities, 
and  often  attacked  the  people  of  the  plains. 
But  the  Liberians  were  brave  and  more  skilled 
in  the  manufacture  of  armor  of  steel,  and  so 
were  enabled  to  make  slaves  of  the  mountain- 
eers; very  often  they  returning  the  favor.  When 
at  peace  they  traded  various  trinkets,  armor, 
cloth,  etc,  for  skins,  llama  horses,  small  black 
catt'e,  and  the  precious  copper  of  the  plateaus. 
the  Arabs  worshiped  idols,  evil  spirits  and 
^•'the  spirits  of  their  ancestors,  and  often  made 
human  sacrifices. 

They  several  times  poured  down  into  the 
gulf  plains  and  held  possession  when  the  Libe- 
rians were  weakened  with  fighting  the  people 
of  the  lake  country  or  with  themselves.  But 
in  a  few  generations  they  would  become  Libe- 
rians and  fiercely  fight  the  Arabs  from  whom 
they  were  descended. 

Alcoholic  wines  and  liquors  were  early  man- 
ufactured; but  they  had  also  a  peculiar  root  that 
was  something  like  opium  and  tobacco  in  its 
effects  when  chewed.  It  was  somewhat  bitter, 
but  was  ground  up  and  mixed  with  sugar  and 
gum.  A  little  of  it  was  a  stimulant;  but  when 
several  bites  were  taken  it  produced  a  sort  of 
quiet  semi-conscious  stupor  that  enabled  the 
user  to  forget  he  was  hungry  and  to  be  utterly 
regardless  of  the  future.  Its  use  was  encouraged 
amongst  the  slaves  and  the  poor  by  the  rich, 
and  steps  to  have  it  expelled  from  the  country 
were  for  a  long  time  unsuccessful. 

The  priests  had  great  control  over  the  mass- 
es, and  were  desirous  of  keeping  them  in  igno- 
rance; for  the  interest  of  the  aristocrats  and  the 
priesthood  were  the  same.  They  therefore 
preached  into  the  drowsy  ears  of  the  disturbed 
slaves  the  sanctity  of  government  and  the  wick- 
edness of  revd^tion. 

The  aristocrats  bought  and  sold  slaves,  as 
they  did  their  horses,  goats  or  little  black  cat- 
tle. 

The  free  poor  looked  with  contempt  on  the 
wretched  slave;  and  by  discreet  management 
the  discontent  of  one  was  used  by  the  masters 
to  hold  in  check  the  discontent   of  the  other. 


Temples  were  reared  and  retinues  of  priests 
kept  them  to  absorb  their  earnings  and  to  keep 
them  in  ignorance.  These  cities  were  crowded 
and  unhealthy.  The  greed  of  these  men  was 
such  that  air,  room,  and  sunlight  were  denied 
to  the  poor,  only  those  who  could  pay  well  for 
them  enjoying  what  rightly  belonged  to  all. 
Pestilence  and  famine  swept  the  rich  and  poor, 
but  yet  the  aristocrats  kept  their  grip.  The  cry 
of  Liberty  was  heard  from  the  slaves.  The 
priests  counseled  moderation,  joined  in  their 
councils,  and  when  they  could  no  longer  per- 
suade them  to  pray  and  petition  their  masters, 
betrayed  them. 

The  slaves  arose  but  were  slaughtered  by 
thousands  and  their  bodies  piled  u[)  and  burned. 
And  the  free  poor  did  the  killing  for  the  rich 
who  commanded  them.  Again  and  again  they 
arose,  each  time  betrayed  and  cursed  by  the  ar- 
istocratic priests  and  each  time  had  to  fight  the 
free  poor,  who  only  got  their  labor  for  subduing 
the  slaves.  But  eventually  chattel  slavery  was 
abolished.  The  slaves  were  free,  but  the  free 
were  slaves;  they  soon  found  they  had  exchang- 
ed the  lash  for  starvation;  and  the  whole  people 
revolted,  burning,  killing  and  destroying,  only 
to  again  change  the  form  of  government  and  to 
put  aristocrats  on  top  in  less  than  a  generation. 
The  rude  Arabs  united  together  and  threatened 
to  destroy  the  nation,  when  a  discovery  was 
made  that  revolutionized  the  art  of  war.  That 
was  A  BO.MB  that  was  fearfully  destructive.  It 
was  thrown  from  a  small  light  cannon  and  ex- 
ploded in  from  five  or  six  seconds  to  half  a 
minute  as  desired  after  leaving  the  gun. 

The  inventor's  name  corresponded  as  near  as 
I  can  transcribe  it  to  Loay.  He  was  a  refugee 
Liberian  in  the  country  of  the  Lake  people, 
having  fled  from  his  own  land  after  assisting  in 
an  unsuccessful  attempt  at  revolution.  A  chem- 
ist and  a  machinist  by  profession  he  got  the 
idea  of  bombs,  and  thought  by  secretly  [perfect- 
ing them,  his  brother  revolutionists  all  over  that 
world  in  various  nations  would  be  enabled  to 
overthrow  tyranny  and  crown  Liberty. 

The  country  around  this  large  lake  was  called 
by  a  name  equivalent  to  Sunland,  because  of 
its  people  being  sun-worshipers;  and  hereafter 
I  shall  so  designate  it  instead  of  the  Lake  coun- 
try. 

Upon  his  arrival   at  Lake  city,  Sunland,  he 


10 


Utopia;  or,  the  Hisiory  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


went  among  his  fellow  revolutionists  who  were 
natives  of  Sunland  and  also  those  who  were  ex- 
iles, like  himself,  fron  Liberia. 

Loay  was  highly  connected  in  Liberia,  his 
father  having  been  a  man  of  wealth  and  rank; 
and  the  son  of  his  oidest  brother  was  then  a 
general  in  the  royal  army  of  Liberia. 

In  Lake  city  Loay  met  with  a  Sunlander  who 
was  a  mechanic  or  metal-smith  whose  name 
sounded  similarly  to  Coruala,  and  to  him  he 
confided  his  plan;  Coruala  was  quickly  fired 
with  the  ideas  and  patriotism  of  his  middle-aged 
confider,  and  went  into  it  with  all  the  ardor  of 
youth.  Coruala  and  Loay  put  each  the  little 
money  they  had  into  the  purchase  of  chemicals, 
metals,  etc. ,  for  experimenting  and  for  the  rental 
of  a  cellar  in  a  quiet  portion  of  the  city.  Co- 
ruala had  a  friend,  a  chemist  and  a  potter,  Mar- 
dola;  and  upon  his  being  told  of  their  project 
volunteered  to  put  in  the  little  hoard  he  had 
saved,  and  to  assist  as  he  could  with  his  earn- 
ings as  potter  or  chemist.  They  toiled  and 
worked  for  several  of  our  years  to  get  their 
bombs  perfected. 

At  last  they  got  them  so  that  the  chemicals 
were  put  with  pieces  of  iron,  spear  heads,  etc., 
into  a  hollow  clay  globe  which  Mardola  had 
invented,  and  this  was  put  into  a  rude  cannon 
the  invention  of  Coruala  and  would  explode 
upon  violently  striking  any  object. 

Coruala  and  Loay  next  invented  a  sort  of 
electric  fuse  that  would  explode  the  bomb  in 
about  five  seconds  from  its  time  of  expulsion 
from  the  cannon  and  made  the  bomb  of  paper 
and  clay  so  that  it  was  not  so  fragile.  Also,  it 
would  not  explode  by  concussion  as  the  earlier 
ones  did. 

Having  reached  this  point  Loay  began  to 
make  arrangements  to  teach  his  fellow  revolu- 
tionists in  Liberia,  as  well  as  Sunland,  how  to 
make  them  and  sent  several  over  to  Liberia  that 
were  used  to  shake  up  the  residence  of  the  king 
a  little.  But  Coruala  had,  while  toiling  in  the 
dark,  damp  cellar,  with  straw  for  a  bed  and  a 
little  grain  and  fruit  for  food,  fallen  in  love  with 
a  young  mechanic's  daughter  and  was  engaged 
to  her. 

He  desired  to  starve  and  toil  no  more,  and 
so  informed  his  partners  Loay  and  Mardola. 
They  were  indignant  and  only  desired  to  make 
a  bare  and  scanty  living  that  the  revolutionists 


might  overthrow  the  aristocrats.  Coruala  want- 
ed to  dress  his  wife  in  golden  cloth  and  ride  in 
a  chariot,  live  in  a  fine  house  and  "  fare  sump- 
tuously every  day."  His  partners  refusing  to 
accede  to  his  demands  to  charge  for  their  bombs 
and  retain  the  secret,  Coruala  privately  went  to 
the  official,  who  would  here  be  called  the  Sec- 
retary of  War,  of  Sunland,  and  had  an  audience 
with  him.  War  was  about  to  be  declared  be- 
tween Liberia  and  Sunland,  as  the  Sunland 
government  had  found  that  the  Arabs  were  pre- 
paring to  make  war  on  the  Liberians.  l^inking 
to  force  the  Liberians  by  attacking  them  at  this 
time  to  compel  them  to  give  up  a  group  of  Val- 
uable islands  they  possessed  in  the  only  ocean^ 
the  Sunland  government  \\  ere  massing  troops 
and  building  iron  war-ships  with  all  haste. 

The  minister  listened  to  Coruala  with  atten- 
tion, and  requested  him  to  call  again  the  next 
day,  giving  him  several  pieces  of  copper  money 
which  were  nearly  as  precious  as  gold  is  to 
us. 

Upon  returning  to  the  cellar  he  had  an  arm- 
ful of  provisions,  and  thus  aroused  the  suspi- 
cions of  Mardola.  When  in  the  morning  he 
hid  three  hand  bombs  in  a  basket  and  started 
for  the  residence  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  Mar- 
dola followed  at  a  safe  distance,  and  then  see- 
ing him  enter  started  back  to  warn  Loay.  But 
Loay  had  gone  to  a  secret  meeting  of  the  rev- 
olutionists to  introduce  his  bombs  and  did  not 
return  for  several  days.  Coruala  went  with  the 
minister  away  from  the  city  and  showed  the 
force  of  his  bombs  by  setting  them  off  against 
some  large  rocks,  and  told  how  he  thought  a 
cannon  could  be  improved  so  as  to  cast  the 
bombs  possibly  half  a  mile,  but  he  lacked  mon- 
ey. On  his  return  he  was  given  a  large  fortune 
for  the  receipt,  and  his  ideas  and  his  ambition 
were  thus  satisfied.  He  hastened  to  find  Mar- 
dola, but  that  discreet  individual  had  fled,  leav- 
ing all  the  bombs,  which  Coruala  now  moved 
to  the  royal  armory.  ^_ 

Coruala  wrote  a  letter  to  ^Bpartner  Loay 
inviting  him  and  Mardola  to  come  and  share 
his  good  fortune,  but  Loay  replied  with  such 
bitter  reproaches  that  the  government  was  in- 
duced to  put  a  price  upon  his  head.  On  hear- 
ing of  this  Mardola  hastened  to  Liberia  and 
there  sold  the  secret  to  the  Liberian  government 
for  a  large  sum  of  money  and  a  grant  of  land. 


Utopia  ;  or,  the  History  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


11 


He  wrote  to  Loay  and  Coruala  saying  he  had 
decided  to  blow  himself  up,  as  he  no  longer  de- 
sired to  live.  Loay  dodged  about  for  some 
tunc  but  at  last  without  money  or  friends  made 
a  secret  visit  to  Coruala,  and  at  the  point  of  the 
knife  got  money  to  leave  the  country.  He 
would  have  killed  him  but  for  the  pleadings  of 
his  young  wife.  From  Sunland  he  went  to  a 
little  republic  across  the  ocean  and  there  died 
after  seeing  his  invention  annihilate  one  race 
and  enslave  his  countrymen. 

The  Liberians  rejoiced  and  marched  against 
their  enemies,  completely  subduing  them  in  a 
few  months  and  seizing  on  their  country. 

J^ortunes  were  made  from  the  copper  mines, 
,^d  other  natural  resources  of  the    conquered 
country;  but  the  masses  were  in   poverty  and 
degradation  as  before. 

After  cherishing  what  remained  of  their  liberty 
for  sometime,  they  arose  by  thousands  against 
the   growing   despotism    of  the  higher  classes. 

But  the  bomb  guns,  now  highly  improved, 
destroyed  them  wherever  they  assembled.  Ter- 
rible was  the  loss  of  human  life;  and  the  people 
found  it  impossible  to  effect  anything  in  secur- 
ing their  rights  by  massing  in  large  numbers. 
They  subsided  into  sullen,  hopeless  slavery  for 
a  few  years;  but  then  they  utilized  the  lessons 
they  had  received,  and  proceeded  to  effect 
their  liberty  by  the  very  means  their  masters 
had  used  to  conquer  them.  International  war 
and  rebellion  was  at  an  end,  but  revolution  was 
not;  and  the  aristocrats  were  [jowerless  with 
their  armies  or  their  guards. 

The  revolutionists,  after  being  again  and 
again  subjected  by  fearful  slaughter,  at  last  com- 
menced to  use  bombs  themselves.  The  tide 
turned  and  aristocracy  once  more  began  to  trem 
ble.  But  by  strict  watch,  money  and  power,  the 
government  managed  to  destroy  the  plans  of 
the  revolutionists,  buy  their  leaders,  and  exe- 
cute those  who  in  attempting  to  carry  out  a  plan 
were  caught.     Itj^^sa  crime  for  citizens  to  have, 


sell,  buy  or  make  cannon  bombs,  or  even  have 
in  possession  the  materials  to  make  bombs. 
They  were  manufactured  by  the  government 
only,  with  great  care,  and  any  one  caught  with 
bombs,  cannon,  manufacturing,  buying  or  sell- 
ing them,  was  put  to  torture  and  killed.  Screws 
of  steel  were  thrust  into  the  flesh,  heated  red  hot 
by  electricity,  and  twisted  and  thrust  into  the 
gagged  victim  until  he  told  of  accomplices,  con- 
fessed or  died.  If  publicly  executed  a  shock 
of  electricity  killed  him  and  his  body  was 
burned.  In  Liberia  the  body  was  especially 
preserved,  as  it  was  a  part  of  their  religion  to 
keep  the  body  whole.  But  the  revolutionists 
soon  got  over  the  error  arising  from  this  religious 
belief. 

The  masses  were  educated  in  certain  resi^ects, 
but  only  in  those  ruts  that  the  aristocrats  and 
priesthood  desired.  Not  only  was  religion 
taught,  but  also  superstition;  and  when  science 
came  against  the  dogmas  of  the  priests,  it  was 
suppressed  in  the  various  schools  and  colleges 
of  the  state  and  the  educational  institutions  of 
the  aristocrats. 

Political  and  social  dogmas  were  taught  as 
self-evident  and  not  to  be  questioned  that  had 
no  foundation  whatever  in  fact,  but  helped  to 
keep  in  mental  bondage  the  many  students  of 
the  lower  orders.  Those  who  were  able  to  per- 
ceive the  fallacy  of  these  theories  and  doctrines 
were  held  in  contempt  by  the  all-wise  teach- 
ers. 

Inventions  of  great  utility  were  being  rapidly 
developed,  and  art  and  science  were  making 
great  progress;  but  the  people  found  themselves 
very  little  better  off,  while  the  aristocrats  in- 
creased in  power  and  wealth.  The  mechanical 
and  mental  improvements  had  outstripped  the 
ix)litical  and  moral.  Regardless  of  the  will  of 
the  people,  whose  servants  they  professed  to  be, 
the  aristocratic  politicians  outraged  all  sense  of 
honor  or  trust,  and  grew  rich  from  the  taxes 
levied  ointhe  people. 


leviea  oiwt 


A--^'' 
a*^ 


5> 


-^^^^i^.^^:r^-fi$^^fi^i^^ 


CHAPTER   III. 


"  She  saw  her  sires  with  purple  death  expire, 
Her  sacred  domes  involved  in  rolling  fire, 
A  dreadful  series  of  intestine  wars."  Pope. 


The  invention  of  the  bomb  and  cannon  and 
the  subjection  of  their  enemies  of  the  hills,  to- 
gether with  the  utter  abandonment  of  war  with 
their  sister  nations,  only  made  the  masses  feel 
the  lash  more  keenly.  Numbers  and  money 
were  supreme,  and  with  standing  armies  collect- 
ed from  among  the  people,  well-filled  treasuries 
from  the  same  source,  and  the  merciless  and 
repeated  use  of  bomb-cannon  at  every  effort  of 
the  people  to  assert  their  rights,  the  aristocratic 
classes  were  without  fear  of  the  masses. 

But  the  revolutionists  were  not  quiet  long. 
From  their  martyrs  who  had  fallen  before  the 
bombs  of  their  fellow-slaves,  the  soldiery,  they 
learned  and  remembered  lessons. 

A  meeting  of  revolutionists  in  Liberia  was 
held  one  night  in  a  low  cellar  for  the  last  time 
before  making  a  long-planned  attack  on  the 
aristocrats  during  a  grand  procession  to  be  held 
the  next  day.  Suddenly  a  force  of  gens-d'armes 
broke  in  upon  them  and  seized  every  one  they 
could  lay  their  hands  on.  Their  earnest  work- 
ers, as  they  fled,  carried  one  of  the  cannon  and 
several  of  the  bombs  with  them  a  little  way,  but 
being  hard-pushed  concealed  them  in  a  large 
paper  box  in  a  back  yard.  (They  made  boxes 
of  stiffened  paper,  serving  the  same  use  as 
wooden  boxes  do  with  us.)  In  a  few  nights 
they  returned  and  conveyed  it  by  several  stages 
to  a  little  mountain  farm  quite  a  distance  from 
the  city,  and  buried  it.  There  they  patiently 
worked,  planted  a  crop,  and  manufactured 
bombs.  One  worked  as  a  potter,  and  then, 
after  much  scheming,  got  a  job  in  the  govern- 
ment bomb  factory;  but  he  was  so  inquisitive 
that  they  discharged  him  and  kept  a  strict  watch 
over  his  movements.  But  he  carefully  kept 
away  from  his  friends  and  toiled  in  a  pottery  to 
keep  them  in  funds. 

At   this   time  there  were  from  forty  to  fifty 


unitary  communities  in  the  country,  where 
from  a  score  to  perhaps  a  hundred  families  lived 
under  one  roof,  and  co-operated  in  busyiness 
matters  as  farmers  or  manufacturers.  Many, 
from  inability  of  individuals  to  agree  or  from"-y 
the  laws  that  interfered  with  their  action,  had 
given  up.  Since  the  restoration  of  the  arbitrary 
government  of  the  aristocrats  communities  had 
been  discouraged,  because  of  the  revolutionary 
tendencies  of  many  of  their  members.  In  the 
valley  below  the  little  farm  of  our  three  plotters 
was  one  of  the  largest  and  most  progressive 
communities  in  Liberia,  many  of  the  members 
being  revolutionists.  Here  the  two  who  re- 
mained on  the  farm  obtained  work  whenever 
they  desired  it,  but  refused  to  join  their  friends 
as  they  were  working  for  a  certain  object,  and 
to  join  them  would  be  to  give  it  up. 

After  about  three  years  of  our  time  another 
grand  religious  and  military  procession  was  de- 
cided upon  and  announced,  and  the  three  rev- 
olutionists resolved  to  be  there.  A  rude  wagon 
was  filled  with  some  rather  poor  dried  fruit  they 
had  bought  for  speculative  purposes,  expecting 
to  make  a  corner  in  it.  Under  this  they  had 
their  cannon,  and  in  front  they  had  a  lot  of 
large  bombs  and  a  box  of  hand-bombs,  all  well 
covered  with  dried  fruit.  To  this  wagon  they 
hitched  six  horses,  as  I  shall  hereafter  call  these 
peculiar  animals,  and  ill  clad  the  two  farmers 
started  for  the  capital  of  Liberia,  overtaking  on 
the  road  the  potter,  who  wa^^guised  as  a  very 
old  woman.  ^K^' 

On,  the  morning  of  the  great  li "  aiiu  ... 
cession  our  friends  are  located  on  the  mam  av- 
enue, vending  their  fruit  to  the  waiting  crowd. 
The  gens-d'armes  come  along  and  rudely  order 
the  ignorant  peddlers  to  leave  the  street,  for 
his  majesty,  the  father  of  the  people  and  the 
representative  of  the  sun,  is  to  make  his  appear- 


Utopia;  or,  the  History  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


13 


soon  with  his  nobles,  priests  and  army,  on  his 
way  to  the  great  temple  to  offer  prayers  for  the 
nation. 

With  great  trepidation  they  hurry  into  an 
adjoining  alley  and  awkwardly  leave  their  wagon 
across  the  pavement  only  to  be  ordered  on  by 
another  party  of  gens-d'armes  and  roundly 
abused  for  their  stupidity  and  ignorance.  The 
elder  farmer  scratches  his  teeth  (the  customary 
sign  of  satisfaction  among  those  people)  and 
smiles  to  his  companions.  Slips  of  paper  with 
the  order  of  the  procession,  are  distributed  by 
boys,  and  flowers  are  strewn  in  the  street  by  a 
latee  ihumber  of  girls  and  maidens.  These  slips 
M^e  the  plotters  exactly  the  information  they 
^'wanted. 

The  head  of  the  procession  appears,  and  the 
plotter  proceeds  to  cover  up  the  fruit  with  a 
cloth.  Next  he  unearths  the  cannon,  getting  it 
ready  for  work  under  the  cloth,  and  his  com- 
panions wait  at  the  back  of  the  wagon  with 
folded  arms.  With  pomp  and  display  the  army, 
with  clanging  bands  and  glittering  banners, 
passes  by;  but  the  peddlers  do  not  make  a  move. 
Priests  in  robes  of  white,  with  urns  of  burning 
incense,  pass,  followed  by  carriages  with  proud 
aristocrats.     Still  they  wait. 

Now  in  glittering  armor,  with  silver  stars  on 
their  helmets,  march  by  a  superb  body  of  men; 
these  are  the  royal  guard  and  are  the  picked 
soldiers  of  the  army.  Then  precede  and  fol- 
low the  king,  his  nobles  and  high  piiests.  Here 
comes  the  large  blue  and  yellow  banner  of  his 
majesty,  and  now  the  peddlers  lay  their  hands 
on  the  concealing  cloth  ready  to  lift  it  at  the 
right  instant. 

Nearer,  nearer  on  a  palanquin  borne  on  the 
shoulders  of  men  and  surrounded  by  a  trusty 
guard  and  the  chariots  of  his  nobles  comes  the 
ruler  of  the  people.  The  [)otter  in  the  wagon 
says  "  Now  !"'  The  cloth  is  torn  aside  and  at 
a  touch  of  the  potter's  foot  a  bomb  is  cast  into 
the  proud  nqhjes.  J>ut  though  his  palanquin 
is  dropped,  tj^^pig  is  unhurt.  "Quick,  an- 
other!" cries  W^jotter,  and  a  second  bomb  is 
cast  into  the  procession,  tearing  the  haughty, 
fleeing  king  into  a  hundred  pieces.  The  citi- 
zens fly  for  their  lives;  the  royal  guard  rally 
round  the  spot  where  their  masters  are  slain. 
They,  the  sons  of  noblemen,  are  torn  to  atoms 
by  the  revengeful  and  destructive  bombs.     The 


remaining  guards  endeavor  to  flee;  but  their 
companions  push  them  on  to  destruction.  The 
three  revolutionists  are  now  out  of  cannon 
bombs,  and  the  desperate  guards  make  a  dash 
for  them;  but  hand-bombs  hurl  them  back. 
The  cannon  and  fruit  are  dumped  out  of  the 
wagon  as  the  horses  are  furiously  driven  into 
the  next  avenue  by  the  potter  and  his  compan- 
ions. A  body  of  gens-d'armes  endeavor  to  in- 
terrupt their  flight,  but  are  driven  off  by  a  vol- 
ley of  hand-bombs.  Another  body  only  wait 
to  see  two  of  their  number  fall,  to  run. 

Now^  the  soldiery  with  bomb  cannon  chase 
the  fugitives  in  hot  haste,  but  so  many  of  them 
jump  on  the  flying  chariots  that  the  panting 
horses  cannot  overtake  them.  See!  an  electric 
carriage  flies  by  with  express  speed,  but  the 
ground  gets  rougher  as  they  leave  the  city,  and 
the  fugitives  still  keep  on. 

Through  all  this  uproar  not  the  bark  of  a 
dog  is  to  be  heard.  There  were  no  dogs  on 
this  globe,  the  last  of  the  small  wolves  having 
been  killed  generations  ago.  But  the  very  large 
cats  might  have  been  seen  running  in  all  direc- 
tions. The  fugitives  turn  suddenly  aside  into  a 
piece  of  woods  by  the  river  side,  leave  their 
team,  change  their  garb  and  separate,  shortly 
joining  the  eager  crowd  of  soldiery,  police  and 
citizens  who  were  chasing  them,  and  inquiring 
what  all  the  commotion  meant.  The  city  is 
given  up  to  wild  mobs,  for  the  soldiery  are  de- 
moralized. 

The  crowded,  filthy  portions  of  the  city  are 
set  on  fire,  and  the  water-pipes  cut  by  a  band 
of  men  who  have  been  fighting  the  outrageous 
rack-rents  that  their  landlords  have  forced  them 
to  pay  for  the  miserable  death-traps.  Advant- 
age is  taken  by  the  mob  during  the  panic  to 
sack  the  houses  of  the  rich  and  rob  the  temples 
of  many  valuables. 

But  on  the  morrow  order  is  restored  by  the 
army,  and  a  new  ruler  takes  the  royal  staff  in 
his  hand  and  wears  the  glittering  diamond  seen 
on  his  head-dress.  The  aristocrats  have  learned 
a  lesson  and  the  revolutionists  take  new  cour- 
age. After  the  new  government  had  put  to 
torture  and  executed  several  scores  of  victims, 
it  proceeded  to  make  some  concessions  of  a 
trifling  character  to  the  people. 

A  party  of  revolutionists  soon  began  to  secret- 
ly store  explosives  in  the  cellar  of  the  national 


1 } 


Utopia  ;  ou,  thi;  IIisiory  of  an  Exiixct  Planet. 


representative  chamber.  But  as  several  of  them 
had  friends  in  that  body  and  had  warned  them 
to  stay  away,  the  plan  fell  through,  as  ouly  a 
part  of  the  explosive  went  off  shaking  the  building 
and  killing  but  a  few. 

Four  conspirators  then  began  from  their  hovel 
to  tunnel  under  a  nobleman's  residence  that 
was  a  long  block  away  from  them.  This  noble- 
man gave  parties  or  balls  attended  by  the  great 
dignitaries  of  the  state  and  church. 

The  four  worked  patiently  for  months,  first 
to  dig  the  tunnel,  then  to  obtain  and  place  the 
explosives  deep  under  the  beautiful  residence  of 
this  nobleman.  No  one  knew  of  their  project 
and  no  warning  was  given;  but  one  night  when 
revelry  was  at  its  hight  in  the  beautiful  palace, 
the  four  toilers  met  in  the  hovel  and  the  elec- 
tric flash  was  sent  along  to  start  the  horrible 
work  of  destruction.  The  whole  city  was  shaken 
as  if  by  an  earthquake;  for  the  revolutionists 
put  in  more  than  enough  to  do  the  work.  Great 
rocks  crushed  through  the  roofs  of  houses  all 
around;  bodies  of  the  fair,  the  brave,  the  inno- 
cent, and  the  guilty  were  blown  high  in  air  or 
torn  into  atoms.  One  rock  crushed  through  the 
hovel  of  the  breathless  conspirators,  instantly 
killing  one,  and  severely  wounding  another. 
Fearful  of  being  betrayed  his  comrades  killed 
him,  and  separting,  fled. 

The  revolutionists,  now  greatly  encouraged, 
formed  into  bands  of  chree  and  four,  and  pre- 
pared to  enforce  their  rights.  First  they  threat- 
ened and  got  nothing,  then  they  placed  harm- 
less bombs  in  public  places  and  observed  their 
effect  on  the  people.  Sometimes  a  bomb  was 
found  that  would  go  off,  and  several  of  these 
proved  very  destructive.  Next  they  proceeded 
to  revolt  but  were  quickly  quelled,  the  ignorant 
mob  foolishly  rushing  to  the  public  buildings, 
to  be  scattered  by  bombs.  A  strong  fierce  lead- 
er was  found  by  the  aristocrats  and  was  declar- 


ed '"defender  of  the  gods,"  etc.,  and  after 
ruling  with  merciless  severity,  and  having  ap- 
parently destroyed  the  revolutionists,  he  made 
a  grand  march  driven  in  a  costly  chariot  with 
guards  and  artillery  and  other  soldiers  number- 
ing thousands  before  and  behind  him.  When 
he  reached  a  certain  square  we  see  parties  of 
three  or  four  together  come  around  the  fruit- 
stand  from  the  sewers  and  other  places  of  con- 
cealment underground. 


See!  they  have  bags  of  bombs  and  drag  can- 
non out  of  cellars  from  under  fruit  stands  and 
even  tear  them  up  from  under  the  pavement. 
The  gens  d'armes  make  a  dash  for  them,  but 
are  routed  by  the  desperate  revolutionists  who 
expected  them.  All  the  revolutionists  are  now- 
massed  and  up  and  down  the  broad  avenue; 
quickly,  skillfully  and  effectively  they  pour  in 
the  destructive  bombs  regardless  of  their  own 
individual  safety.  The  "defender"  and  his 
nobles  are  destroyed,  and  his  army  driven  with 
great  slaughter  into  the  grand  royal  gardens. 
Here  they  endeavor  to  use  their  artillery  on  the 
revolutionists,  but  with  little  effect,  fo^  .they 
never  find  more  than  half  a  dozen  together  aad 
if  they  attem[)t  to  seize  them  are  blown  up  by 
the  reckless  revolutionists.  The  mob  knows 
better  than  to  assemble  and  the  revolutionists 
are  victorious. 

One  man  of  a  trio  touches  the  electric  spring 
of  a  bomb,  when  his  comrades  are  suddenly 
seized  and  standing  over  it  fight  as  if  tor  life 
until  it  explodes  and  tears  a  score  of  men  into 
shreds,  including  the  operators. 

The  demoralized  royal  army  raises  an  arti- 
ficial white  bird  fa  sign  of  truce)  on  a  pole  and 
beg  to  be  allowed  to  surrender  to  some  one. 

But  after  obtaining  such  a  victory  and  organ- 
izing a  constitutional  government  the  revolu- 
tionists divide  off  into  factions  and  in  a  few 
years  the  aristocrats  are  again  in  power.  They 
get  a  dictator  and  a  sort  of  senate  and  proceed 
to  run  in  the  old  way.  The  revolutionists  again 
conspire,  and  this  time  with  rapidity.  The  dic- 
tator is  seated  with  his  senate  in  the  great  tem- 
ple of  liberty  when  a  man  walks  up  to  him  and 
humbly  asks  that  a  petition  be  granted,  and  is 
put  off  with  evasive  answers.  He  begs  instant 
action  but  is  constantly  put  off. 

He  turns  to  the  senate  and  then  to  the  dic- 
tator surrounded  by  his  guards  and  says  in  ef- 


fect: "  Traitors,  your  time  has  come.  So  die 
all  enemies  of  humanity!"  His  foot  touches 
a  secret  spring  under  the  rich^Het;  hestami)s 
on  it;  the  senate  spring  tothei^^t,  but  as  they 
do  so  a  terrific  explosion  takes  place,  and  not 
a  man  escapes. 

After  various  attempts  of  men  to  assume  roy- 
al powers  under  various  names  and  they,  and 
their  armies  are  destroyed,  poiverisnoc  desired. 
To  appCvXF  with  a  guard  meant  death,   and  to 


Utopia;  or,  the  History  of  an  Extinct  Planei. 


15 


betray  the  trust  of  the  people  was  equivalent  to 
suicide.  Justice  was  linked  with  liberty  and 
the  people  were  made  the  final  appeal  of  the 
nation.  More  than  once  men  of  the  purest  mo- 
tives were  destroyed  by  their  enemies;  but  the 
revolutionists  generally  were  carefui  before 
condemning  a  man  in  power,  to  give  him  a 
chance  to  resign  or  reform. 

Eventually,  after  having  several  forms  of  a 
democracy,  a  constitution  was  formed  scarcely 
containing  a  thousand  words,  and  woman  v>as 
given  full  power  with  her  brothers.  Then  the 
country  started  after  the  long  period  of  riot, 
discord  and  revolution,  on  an  era  of  peace. 
Tb^  ownership  of  land  was  abolished,  no  house 
^ft  any  city  or  district  could  be  over  two  stories 
high,  and  the  cities  were  given  room. 

The  function  of  government  was  lo  construct 
public  works,  represeiit  the  people  in  all  nation- 
al matters,  issue  money  and  protect  its  citizens. 
F.cich  city,  district  and  community  managed  its 
own  affairs,  and  in  any  [jublic  question  pertain- 
ing to  a  district  its  peoiJie  decided  it;  if  to  the 
nation  the  whole  people  decided  it.  Laws 
v.ere  few  and  brief.  Thus,  lawyers,  beggars 
and  millionaires  were  not  to  be  seen.  Labor 
VNas  honorable,  idleness  a  disgrace.  But  toil 
was  banished  and  slavery  under  any  name,  at 
an  end.  The  mli.ennium  had  arrived  but  no 
one  realized  its  presence. 

Now  commenced  an  era  of  grand  improve- 
ment in  every  way.  Science,  art,  literature 
and  mechanics  were  in  the  midst  of  the  people. 
Everything  benefited  the  many,  nothing  a 
chosen  few.  Disease  disappeared  as  education 
advanced  and  the  average  age  increased  rapidly. 
Now  1  went  among  these  great  peo[)le  in  Li- 
beria and  Sunland,  for  they  made  progress 
nearly  parallel  to  each  other,  and  observed  their 
social,  mechanical  and  scientific  improvements. 
The  car  of  progress  rolled  smoothly  on  with 
liberty  and  justice  to  control  its  course. 

Other  nation^^rogressed  differently  from  the 
Sunland  and  L]^»ian  people.  A  people  of  a 
country  furtherlrouth  of  Sunland  on  the  coast 
and  in  one  large  valley  of  a  river,  who  were 
called  the  people  of  Erolia  or  Erolians,  never 
had  any  terrible  revolution,  but  by  slow  and 
gradual  steps  acquired  their  liberty  and  kept  in 
the  march  of  progress. 


They  at  first  had  a  despotism  which  on  de- 
mand of  the  [people,  without  bloodshed  was 
changed  to  a  constitutional  monarchy. 

As  the  people  grew  in  intelligence  and  great- 
er love  for  liberty,  one  by  one  the  prerogatives 
of  royalty  were  given  to  the  people  or  placed 
in  the  hands  of  their  real  representatives.  Event- 
ually the  ywere  their  own  political  rulers,  the 
king  or  queen  having  only  social  prestige  and 
position.  Then  the  salary  of  the  royal  occu- 
pants was  gradually  reduced  to  nothing  and  the 
offices  became  merely  positions  of  honor;  but 
the  people  thought  they  must  have  a  king. 

Royalty  went  begging,  several  refusing  to 
abandon  their  private  business,  or  distant  heirs, 
suddenly  called  upon,  declined  to  leave  their 
native  or  adopted  countries  in  other  parts  of  the 
globe.  After  some  time  a  humble  farmer  was 
found,  as  heir  by  default  of  two  or  three  others; 
but  he  positively  refused  to  serve.  He  had  his 
crop  of  fruit  to  attend  to,  and  the  sensible  com- 
munity in  which  he  lived  could  not  dispense 
with  his  services.  So  the  people  of  Erolia  sud- 
denly woke  up  to  the  fact  that  they  had  been 
practically  without  a  king  for  a  hundred  years 
and  hunted  no  more  for  royal  princes. 

The  Erolians  were  a  gray-eyed,  tall,  quiet 
people,  very  strong  and  fierce  if  hard  pushed. 
They  resembled  in  stature  and  general  [)hysical 
qualities  the  Liberians,  being  muscular,  very 
large  chested  and  highly  intellectual. 

But  in  the  far  south  side  of  the  ocean  lived  a 
haughty  black-eyed,  coarse-haired  people,  who 
ruled  by  their  intelligence  and  cruelty,  the 
cringing,  very  ignorant  black  negrettoes.  These 
slaves  were  too  cowardly  to  P.ght  stubbornly  for 
their  rights  and  too  treacherous  to  each  other 
to  combine.  They  never  used  the  bombs  to 
destroy  their  masters  to  any  great  extent  and 
the  foreigners  who  came  to  help  them  were 
generally  received  coldly  or  betrayed.  Not  un- 
til all  the  other  nations  had  acquired  liberty, 
[)eace  and  prosperity  did  these  people  obtain 
their  rights.  Then  in  the  name  of  humanity 
the  other  nations  demanded  that  this  slavery 
should  be  stopi)ed,  the  land  made  free  and  their 
trickery  government  abolished. 

It  was  done;  but  it  took  years  to  teach  the 
aristocrats  that  they  were  masters  no  longer. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Science  is  a  child  as  yel, 

But  her  power  and  scope  shall  tjrow, 
And  her  secrets  in  the  future 

Shall  diminish  toil  and  woe ; 
Shall  increase  the  bounds  of  pleasure 

With  an  ever-widening  ken, 
And  of  woods  and  wildernesses 

Make  the  homes  of  happy  men.  Mackav. 


Through  all  these  observations  Psycho  had 
remained  with  me  pointing  out  many  thiugsas  I 
came  to  them,  and  briefly  explaining  phenom- 
ena and  occurrences  that  puzzled  my  under- 
standing. These  people  developed  in  many 
ways  different  from  ours.  Steam  was  never  ex- 
tensively used  as  a  motive  power,  but  gas 
engines  were  used  at  first  to  propel  boats.  Lo- 
comotives on  railroads  were  used  to  more 
bulky  and  heavy  articles,  but  did  not  come  into 
rapid  transporation  of  people  until  sometime 
after  electricity  was  introduced  as  a  motor. 

Until  the  revolutions  were  over  the  mechanical 
improvements  stopped  where  they  were  when  the 
wars  broke  out.  But  at  the  final  triumph  of  the 
people,  inventions  and  prosperity  took  rapid 
strides.  We  walk  through  the  wide  streets  of 
Liberia  and  on  every  hand  are  evidences  of 
liberty  and  happiness.  Where  were  once  the 
narrow  roughly-paved  streets  and  alleys  of  the 
lower  portion  of  the  city,  now  are  broad 
smoothly  laid  avenues  with  shaded  sidewalks,  a 
row  of  handsome  trees  in  the  center  and  stat- 
ues or  drinking  fountains  at  every  corner. 
Brown,  black,  gray  and  white  stone  houses  of 
large  size  and  beautifully  ornamented  are  on  ev- 
ery side.  In  the  busy  portions  of  the  city, 
where  the  ocean  electric  boats  are  at  the  busy 
wharves,  or  the  broad-gauged  electric  engines 
are  coming  and  going  with  their  heavy  loads, 
the  city  is  still  open  and  no  crowding  is  per- 
mitted. The  stores  and  business  houses  have 
open  plots  of  ground  all  around  them  and  are 
no  more  than  two  stories  high. 

The  ground  floors  are  handsome  stores,  or 
well  filled  store-rooms.  In  some  are  heard  the 
hum  of  busy  machinery  ;  in  others  the  laughter 
of  children  at  their  play. 


Here  is  an  immense  building  of  heav^stone 
and  very  little  ornament  in  the  center  of  a  laVge 
block.  We  learn  that  this  is  a  national  granaJy-V 
and  the  train  of  cars  being  backed  out  of  doors 
has  been  unloading  the  tons  of  white  grain 
brought  from  a  valley  away  to  the  north  on  the 
other  side  of  those  dark,  high  mountains.  We 
pass  to  a  Jarge,  handsome  building  close  to  one 
of  the  main  avenues,  and  go  with  the  stream  of 
ladies  and  children  through  its  broad  glass 
doors  and  find  ourselves  in  an  immense  oval 
hall,  lighted  by  large  windows  all  around  it. 
Many  counters  and  tiers  of  shelves  are  piled 
high  with  delicate  fabrics  and  beautiful  cloths. 
The  scores  of  busy  girls,  ladies  and  gentlemen 
waiting  on  the  customers  are  not  pale  and  wax- 
en as  we  should  expect  to  see,  but  rosy  and 
healthy  as  if  they  did  not  toil  and  rush  fourteen 
hours  a  day. 

Nor  do  they;  for  long  before  the  sun  sets  the 
windows  are  closed,  the  doors  slid  together 
and  away  go  clerk  and  sales-woman  in  beautiful, 
swiftly-moving  electric  carriages  that  hold  from 
one  to  forty,  to  their  communities  further  out  of 
town.  Or  they  hasten  to  the  various  parks  to 
race  and  exercise  in  various  games,  witness  feats 
of  agility  or  sleight  of  hand.  Many  eo  to  the 
opened  porticoed  massive  buildings  and  listen 
to  the  lectures,  or  perhaps  swim  in  the  public 
baths  in  certain  parks  or  by^ie  shores  of  the 
gulf.  Six  hours  out  of  the  t^v  in  their  day  is 
devoted  to  labor,  the  rest  to  recreation,  educa- 
tion, enjoyment  and  sleep.  No  master  can 
lock  the  doors  of  his  factory  and  say,  "  Toil 
and  starve,  or  starve  any  way." 

Here  the  worker  by  the  plying  loom  or  the 
clanging  anvil,  the  roadside  or  the  bench,  is  not 
an  employee    but  a  part   owner    in  all    that  his 


Utopia;  or,  the  History  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


17 


community  controls.  Generally  the  commu- 
nities where  the  individuals  reside  are  the 
owners  of  the  industries  they  engage  in.  But 
some  are  communities  simply  for  convenience 
in  domestic  arrangements,  and  the  individuals 
are  part  of  a  hundred  different  co-operative  in- 
dustries or  concerns.  Community  life  did  not 
spring  into  existence  until  after  the  adoption  of 
the  last  constitution,  when  conditions  were  fa- 
vorable for  their  organization,  and  the  people 
were  waiting  for  something  to  save  and  util- 
ize labor.  So  in  less  than  a  century  of  our 
time  there  were  very  few  isolated  households  in 
eithpr  Liberia,  Sunland  or  Erolia,  the  commu- 
nities ranging  from  three  families  in  the  little 
^•."^lountain  valleys  to  four  hundred  sometimes  in 
the  city  of  Liberia. 

Communities  of  over  three  hundred  families 
were  found  not  to  work  as  well  as  those  of  from 
one  hundred  up. 

The  usual  time  of  marriage  was  from  about 
eighteen  to  twenty-five  years  of  our  time  ;  and 
as  a  man  did  not  require  to  be  rich  or  to  have 
a  bank  account,  he  courted  and  married  when 
he  was  young,  strong  and  hopeful.  He  and 
his  bride  took  up  their  residence  in  the  commu- 
nity of  one  or  the  other;  and  as  poverty  and 
intemperance  never  came  in  at  the  door  of  their 
home,  love  very  rarely  flew  out  of  the  window. 

By  proper  education,  attention  to  the  laws  of 
heredity  and  careful  lives  generally,  mothers 
were  not  broken  down  with  disease  before  their 
prime,  and  children  were  not  brought  into  the 
world  with  sickly  or  diseased  bodies  or  minds. 
For  a  woman  to  have  over  four  children  was 
unusual;  to  have  none  at  all  more  so.  For  a 
child  to  die  was  rare,  but  the  funerals  of  the 
aged  were  common. 

The  numeral  system  of  all  the  people  but  one 
on  this  planet  was  a  duodecimal  one,  represent- 
ed by  twelve  signs,  and  twelve  or  any  multiple 
being  as  easily  written  and  calculated  as  we  do 
ten  or  any  of  its  multiples.  Their  year,  called 
by  them  by  a  wend  meaning  a  circle,  was  equal 
to  a  very  little  less  than  thirty-one  and  a  quarter 
of  our  years.  This  year  they  divided  into  twelve 
periods  and  each  period  into  twelve  months, 
these  months  being  from  sixty-three  to  sixty-five 
of  their  days  in  length.  They  calculated  by 
periods  as  we  do  by  years,  and  circles  (revolu- 
tions of  the  planet  around  the  sun)  as  we  do  by 


centuries.  Their  watch  dials  were  divided  into 
twelve  parts  or  hours;  these  into  twelve  minutes 
and  these  again  into  twelve  seconds.  The 
watch  was  a  very  narrov/  oval,  the  single  hand 
or  pointer  moving  across  from  end  to  end  once 
a  day.  They  were  carried  in  a  pocket  of  the 
shirt  or  coat,  and  were  about  three  inches  long 
and  about  half  an  inch  wide,  often  highly  orna- 
mented.    The  clocks  were  similar  but  larger. 

Electricity  was  in  greater  abundance  in  their 
world  than  in  ours,  and  therefore  more  easily 
obtained.  It  was  used  as  a  motive  power  at 
every  kind  of  work  and  art.  The  public  build- 
ings were  lighted  by  its  soft,  regular  and  mellow 
light,  and  the  private  rooms  and  halls  of  the 
communities,  in  city  and  country,  were  lighted 
only  by  it.  Electricity  also  propelled  their 
boats,  ran  their  machinery,  drew  their  loads  of 
grain  or  merchandise,  cooked  their  food,  heated 
houses,  and  furnished  power  to  drive  their 
swiftly-gliding,  unequally-wheeled  carriages,  or 
to  haul  their  smaller  loads  of  fruit  or  produce 
to  market. 

Smooth  highways  of  somewhat  elastic  but  ar- 
tificial stone  ran  for  hundreds  of  miles  in  several 
directions,  with  many  branches  and  subdivis- 
ions, by-roads  and  cross-roads.  Over  these 
roads  electric  carriages  of  three,  five,  seven  or 
nine  wheels,  and  so  on  to  any  size  that  was  con- 
venient, could  proceed  with  passengers  or  pro- 
duce, at  any  desired  speed  not  exceeding  twenty 
miles  an  hour. 

The  motive  power  for  all  their  machines, 
lights,  etc.,  was  cheaply  and  easily  obtained  by 
the  power  of  water  and  wind.  From  the  time 
the  water  began  to  run  in  the  mountain  courses 
it  was  made  to  store  its  power  in  reservoirs,  or 
to  light  houses  and  run  machinery  close  by,  or 
have  its  power  carried  to  a  distance.  At  the 
numerous  falls  of  the  great  national  acqueducts 
and  of  the  rivers,  metal  cases  of  about  two  cubic 
feet  were  filled  with  electric  power  and  placed 
in  engines  to  run  them,  or  on  the  cars  to  be 
conveyed  wherever  wanted.  From  the  mount- 
ains to  the  sea  the  water  was  made  to  fill  power 
boxes  or  reservoirs  to  use  in  various  industries. 
Water  passing  through  the  houses  ran  wheels 
that  filled  the  electric  reservoirs  for  lighting, 
heating  and  cooking,  as  well  as  for  machinery, 
A  box  of  two  cubic  feet  was  sufficient  to  run  a 
small  carriage  a  hundred  miles  or  more. 


IS 


Utopia;  or,  the  Historv  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


In  going  through  the  city  we  notice  a  great 
absence  of  noise.  The  great  engines  on  the 
railroads  come  in,  switch,  couple  and  uncouple 
from  cars  with  comparative  silence.  The  hun- 
dreds of  electric  carriages  running  up  and  down 
the  avenues,  or  the  little  open  narrow  passenger 
cars  on  rails,  drawn  by  electric  motors,  glide 
along  the  streets  and  highways  swiftly  and  noise- 
lessly, except  for  a  whistle  attached  to  the  car- 
riages that  increased  in  loudness  with  the 
speed. 

The  foot-passengers  on  the  smooth  sidewalks 
glide  along  in  soft  shoes,  like  spirits.  Only  in 
the  shops  of  the  machinists  and  in  the  foundries 
is  the  clang  and  clatter  heard;  but  even  here  the 
noise  is  greatly  reduced. 

Almost  in  the  heart  of  the  city  the  enormous 
house  cats  slee[)  in  peace  on  the  posts  of  the 
gates  or  in  the  porticos  of  the  communities, 
with  the  sunshine  streaming  on  their  sides.  It 
used  to  be  the  custom  for  each  citizen  to  shut 
up  a  mother-cat  with  her  kittens  in  the  hall  of 
his  house  at  night.  If  a  stranger  by  any  means 
got  into  the  house  the  cats  would  make  a  des- 
perate attack  forthwith,  and  being  almost  as  large 
as  a  common  wildcat  is  with  us,  the  fight  was  a 
hard  one.  When  not  engaged  in  defending  their 
kittens,  under  the  same  circumstances  they 
would  only  caterwaul  and  scamper  to  whatever 
member  of  the  household  they  liked  best  and 
awaken  them.  But  now  they  had  as  little  to 
do  as  watch-dogs;  the  halls  of  the  communities 
were  open  nearly  all  night,  and  so  the  cats  slept 
in  peace. 

I  asked  Psycho  where  were  the  public  build- 
ings, the  capitol,  the  department  buildings,  the 
residence  of  the  president,  etc.,  so  we  went  to 
about  the  center  of  the  city  and  saw  them. 
There  in  the  middle  of  a  large  block  stood  a 
massive  gray  stone  building  of  the  usual  oval 
shape,  three  stories  high,  with  an  oval  dome, 
supported  on  pillars,  above  it.  On  this  dome 
was  a  large  statue  of  a  woman,  the  Spirit  of 
Unity,  and  at  night  from  her  outstretched  hand 
shone  a  very  bright  electric  light.  During  the 
day  she  held  out  a  large  three-sided  blue  ban- 
ner with  a  yellow  circle  around  a  white  field, 
in  which  were  a  number  of  pink  stars.  This 
was  the  national  banner,  the  number  of  stars 
corresponding  to  the  number  of  districts  in  the 
nation. 


In  the  capitol  building  were  a  great  number 
of  small  offices,  and  on  the  second  floor  was  th€ 
chamber  of  representatives.  This  was  only  used 
as  such  about  three  of  their  months  in  a  period; 
but  the  rest  of  the  time  was  not  idle,  being  oc- 
cupied for  lectures,  balls,  public  meetings  and 
national  conventions. 

Across  from  the  ca[)itol  building  to  the  south 
was  a  plain  brown  stone  building,  of  the  usual 
oval  shape,  and  perhaps  a  hundred  feet  long. 
On  a  flag-staff  in  front  of  the  main  entrance  is 
waving  the  national  banner  as  a  sign  that  the 
building  is  open,  and  over  a  portion  of  the  door 
is  an  inscription  in  silver  letters,  meaning  exec- 
utive department.  From  the  small  interior  hall 
or  court  are  doors  leading  to  various  rooms,  ari^.^' 
on  one  side  is  a  broad  stairway.  Over  the  doors  V 
are  other  inscri[)tions,  meaning  office  of  the 
president,  office  of  the  secretary  of  state,  secre- 
tary of  the  treasury,  secretary  of  industry,  sec- 
retary of  public  improvements,  secretary  of 
intelligence,  the  last  including  the  postoffice 
national  institution.  Up  stairs  were  the  offices 
of  the  private  secretaries,  clerks  and  the  execu- 
tive library.  Many  of  the  clerks  were  women; 
quite  often  a  woman  was  in  the  cabinet,  and 
when  she  occupied  the  presidential  chair  there 
was  no  revolution. 

Near  by  on  the  same  side  is  the  patent  office, 
about  the  same  size  as  the  executive  department. 
Psycho  tells  me  that  its  small  size  is  due  to  the 
rule  that  machines  that  are  used  extensively  are 
simply  photographed,  the  model  being  stored 
away  or  given  to  some  institution.  Patents  of 
no  use  are  also  treated  in  the  same  way;  and  so 
only  a  few  models  are  exposed  for  a  period  or 
two,  when  they  are  followed  by  others. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  capitol  is  the  treas- 
ury, where  the  national  notes  are  made,  the 
money  stored  and  the  accounts  kept.  On  the 
east  side  is  the  national  clearing-house,  where 
the  accounts  between  the  communities  and  in- 
dividuals are  balanced  every  sixof  their  months, 
the  government  charging  but  a  trifling  percent- 
age for  the  service.  This  is  tHe  largest  of  the 
public  buildings  except  the  capitol  itself,  but  is 
only  two  stories  high.  It  is  built  of  stone,  but 
of  course  oval  in  shape,  square  or  angular  build- 
ings of  any  kind,  either  public  or  private,  being 
rare.  On  the  west  side  are  the  museum  and  the 
observatory.     The  former  is  next  in  size  to  the 


Utopia  ;  or,  the  History  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


19 


clearing-house,  but  the  observatory  is  mainly  a 
hall  of  astronomical  records,  the  main  observa- 
tory being  fully  fifty  miles  away  on  the  mount- 
ains. Next  to  it  stands  the  national  public 
library,  a  small  building,  as  most  of  the  books 
are  in  the  many  halls,  colleges  and  institutions 
of  learning  in  the  various  cities  of  the  republic 
and  in  the  city  of  Liberia  itself.  On  another 
block  is  the  general  postofifice  and  electric  sig- 
nal department,  which  occupies  considerable 
space,  but  I  do  not  go  to  it. 

I  am  disappointed  in  seeing  that  this  nation 
of  thirty  millions  of  prosperous  people  have  such 
plain  and  small  public  buildings,  all  of  them  not 
ecn^ling  in  expense  the  state  buildings  of  the 
m\e  State  of  Connecticut,  in  my  own  country 
"on  Earth.  Psycho  listens  to  my  observations, 
and  answering  numerous  questions  patiently 
until  we  get  thiough  looking  over  the  buildings, 
and  then  replies  while  we  proceed  to  other 
points  of  interest: 

"  You  are  used,  my  son,  to  useless  and  ex- 
pensive display  of  massive  and  empty  public 
buildings.       Here    the     people    have    learned 
that  it  is  more  than   useless  to  put  the   wealth 
of  the    nation    into  piles  of  stone,  only  to  be 
used  a   few  days  out  of  a  period.     The  pres- 
ident is  only  the  chief  clerk  of  the  people,  and 
not  having  the  arbitrary  powers  or  dignities  of  a 
sovereign,  as  the  president  of  your  country  on 
your  planet,  he  is  not  called  upon  to  display 
extravagance  or  to  keep  up  the  dignity  of  the 
state.     Therefore  no  mansion  or   palace  is  fur- 
nished him  for  a  residence,  it  being  considered 
sufficient  to  appropriate  an  office  for  his  busi- 
ness with  a  number  of  assistants.     Vast  armies 
of  clerks  are  not  needed  to  dispose  of  the  peo- 
ple's wealth,  and  buildings  are  not  erected  to 
be  used  a  few  days   out  of  a   period.     Every 
building  erected  by  the  people  is  in  continued 
use,  and  the  capitol  is  not  used  as  a  saloon  or 
restaurant,  nor  has  it  but  three  committee-rooms 
around  the  hall  of  representatives.    Any  national 
convention   can  obtain  the  use  of  this  hall  in 
demanding  the  keys.     The  wealth   of  a  nation 
is  displayed  not  by  the  magnificence  of  its  pub- 
lic buildings  or  the  extravagance  of  its  highest 
officials,  but  by  the  actual  prosperity  of  its  peo- 
ple and  the  equal  distribution  of  the  products  of 
labor. 

"  Rear  a  mountain  of  granite  over  the  body 


of  a  dead  ruler,  and  you  mix  the  mortar  with 
the  blood  of  slaves.  Pile  up  national  buildings 
costing  millions  of  days  of  labor,  and  you  build 
a  sepulcher  for  liberty.  Borrow  of  the  future 
to  commemorate  the  past,  or  to  satisfy  the  ar- 
rogant assumptions  of  the  present  entrusted  with 
the  country's  welfare,  and  you  enslave  unnum- 
bered generations,  plant  the  seeds  of  tyranny 
and  corruption,  bind  liberty  in  chains,  and  de- 
stroy the  prosperity  of  a  nation.  These  people 
have  learned  that  they  can  but  show  their 
strength  and  prosperity  to  others  by  prosperous 
communities,  equal  wealth  and  intelligent  citi- 


zens. 


Thus  rebuked  for  my  criticism  of  the  manner 
of  public  building,  Psycho  continued: 

"  With  the  experience  of  centuries  of  oppres- 
sion and  debt,  these  people  learned  that  it 
would  be  better  for  their  representatives  to  meet 
on  the  open  square,  and  the  public  buildings  to 
be  of  the  flimsl'j-t  and  cheapest  construction, 
than  to  bind  burdens  on  the  shoulders  of  their 
children,  or  to  incur  a  debt  of  any  kind. 
Therefore  in  letters  of  blood  is  written  in  their 
constitution:  'No  private  debt  shall  ever  be 
considered  binding  or  have  any  standing  in  law 
or  justice,  and  no  public  debt  shall  ever  be  in- 
curred for  any  object  or  under  any  circumstan- 
ces.' Thus  an  immense  amount  of  litigation, 
cumbersome  legal  machinery  and  untold  expense 
were  gotten  rid  of.  Of  this  constitution  I  will 
tell  you  more  by  and  by." 

Printing  was  never  used  as  we  understand  it. 
For  many  years  they  simply  copied  by  hand, 
and  although  printing  was  afterward  invented, 
it  came  too  late  to  be  of  use. 

Photography  came  before  printing  had  got 
beyond  rude  wooden  blocks,  and  it  was  soon 
used  for  obtaining  cheap  and  accurate  copies  oi 
works,  then  for  newspapers,  circulars,  etc.  By 
going  into  that  branch  of  photography,  inven 
tions  were  brought  out  that  enabled  them  tc 
take  thousands  of  photographs  of  a  page  of  man 
uscript  with  a  few  hours  labor;  and  thus  books, 
pamphlets,  papers,  and  everything  we  print, 
were  photo-printed.  Their  books  and  manu- 
scripts were  generally  of  an  oval  shape,  or  per- 
haps the  corners  of  a  parallelogram  simply 
rounded.  The  phonetic  characters  ran  from 
left  to  right,  but  continued  in  the  next  page, 
not  in  the  underside  of  the  same  page;  and  ir 


20 


Utopia;  or,  the  History  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


arriving  at  the  end  of  the  book  was  turned  up- 
side down,  as  well  as  over,  thus  bringing  the 
conclusion  on  the  same  page  as  the  commence- 
ment. 

Their  knowledge  of  astronomy  far  exceeded 
ours,  as  by  some  means  they  combined  photog- 
raphy with  the  telescope,  so  as  to  greatly  increase 
the  distinctness  of  the  viewed  object.  They 
did  not  stop  with  simple  photography,  but  were 
enabled  to  obtain  photographs  so  clear  that  the 
picture  looked  almost  like  the  reflection  of  a 
mirror. 

After  the  era  of  liberty,  the  people  drifted 
into  a  hopeful  scientific  materialism  and  aban- 
doned the  superstitions  of  their  ancestors.  The 
various  nations  of  the  world  commingled  until 
they  spoke  one  common  language  and  were  one 
race.  As  by  better  social  conditions  they  grew 
purer  and  attained  a  greater  degree  of  sensitive- 


ness the  fact  of  immortality  became  better 
known,  until  eventually  in  every  community 
those  who  had  passed  to  a  higher  plane  of  ex- 
istence were  not  lost  to  their  friends,  but  met 
face  to  face,  and  the  river  of  death  was  spanned 
by  purity  and  love. 

At  my  earnest  solicitation  Psycho  enabled 
me  to  go  into  the  public  library  of  the  nation 
and  to  look  over  their  constitution,  which  was 
simple,  short,  and  because  of  their  intelligence 
and  dislike  of  technical  interpretations  was 
easily,  cheaply  and  effectively  administered.  In 
fact  there  was  very  little  law;  for  the  people  did 
not  need  it.  Their  constitution  was  ea^ly  un- 
derstood by  them,  their  words  conveying  mb^e 
than  ours  do;  and  the  will  of  the  people  writv^- 
first  and  highest  above  any  branch  of  the  gov- 
ernment. 


i-u    1j. 


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:.<:>J> 


CHAPTER  V. 


'  Balked  are  the  courts  and  contest  is  no  more. 
Despairing  quacks  with  curses  fled  the  place, 
And  vile  attorneys,  now  a  useless  race." 


Abstract  of  the  Constitution  of  the  Republic 
of  Liberia  (of  the  Planet  Utopia.) 

As  it  is  necessary  for  the  preservation  of  Lib- 
erty the  maintenance  of  Justice  and  the  co-op- 
option  of  the  people  in  building  public  works, 
►"educating  the  citizens  of  the  nation,  that  there 
should  be  a  form  of  government, the  Represent- 
atives of  the  people  of  the  Republic  of  Liberia, 
form  the  following  constitution: 

Article  i.  This  provided  for  the  rights  of 
citizens,  and  that  any  person  over  ten  "  periods" 
of  age  who  could  read  and  write  Estravlian,  the 
national  language,  without  regard  to  sex,  race, 
religion,  or  residence  (if  native  born),  could 
vote  and  hold  any  office  in  the  gift  of  the  Re- 
public. Foreign  born  citizens  could  hold  any 
office  after  being  residents  and  citizens  a  certain 
time. 

Sections  third  and  fourth  provided  jury  trials, 
but  for  crimes  of  less  magnitude  than  murder, 
the  prisoner  could  have  a  jury  of  not  less  than 
three  nor  more  than  twelve.  A  majority,  in 
minor  offenses  could  find  a  verdict;  in  case  of  a 
tie,  the  judge  having  a  casting  vote;  but  in 
murder  trials,  the  verdict  was  required  to  be 
unanimous. 

Section  fourth  provided  that  the  State  could 
not  take  the  life  of  a  chizen  for  any  crime;  but 
on  conviction  of  murder  the  second  time  or  for 
money,  at  the  option  of  the  jury  the  prisoner 
could  be  branded  in  the  forehead  and  transport- 
ed to  a  deep  valley  from  which  escape  was  im- 
possible. 

Article  second  provided  for  the  form  of  gov- 
ernment. This  consisted  of  three  branches- 
legislative,  executive  and  judicial.  Sections 
first,  second  and  third  provided  that  there  should 
be  one  representative  to  every  thirty  thousand 
citizens,  to  be  elected  once  every  period  and  to 
receive  a  salary  of  six  thousand  royars  a  period, 


a  royar   being   equal   in    purchasing    power  to 
about  one  dollar  and  a  half. 

The  representatives  could  meet  but  once  in  a 
period,  (two  years  and  a  half,)  and  could  only 
continue  in  session  three  months  and  sixty-five 
days  each,  unless  permitted  to  sit  six  days  longer 
by  the  president.  They  could,  however,  be  spe- 
cially convened  by  a  call  of  the  people,  or  the 
president. 

Sees,  fourth  and  fifth  provided  that  they  could 
pass  laws  and  make  treaties,  issue  legal  money, 
make  appropriations,  levy  taxes,  construct  pub- 
lic works,  provide  for  the  education  of  the  peo- 
ple, or  anything  that  the  people  might  entrust 
to  them. 

Sections  seven  and  eight  provided  that  a  law 
passed  by  them  could  only  be  vetoed  by  the 
people;  and  a  bill  having  passed  the  Repre- 
sentives  could  be  put  before  the  people,  on  a 
demand  of  one-fourth  the  representives  or  about 
one  million  and  a  half  citizens.  Any  bill 
defeated  by  a  majority  of  four  or  less  could  be 
put  before  the  people  on  demand  of  a  number 
equal  to  the  minority  or  the  same  number  of 
citizens;  but  any  bill  defeated  by  a  greater  ma- 
jority could  only  be  put  before  the  people  on 
the  demand  of  a  morjority  of  the  representa- 
tives, or  about  three  million  citizens.  Any  de- 
cision of  the  judiciary  could  be  considered  by 
the  representatives. 

Sections  nine,  ten  and  eleven  provided  for 
the  executive,  which  consisted  in  executing  the 
laws,  carrying  on  public  improvements  or  any 
other  business  that  might  be  entrusted  to  them 
by  the  representatives  or  the  people.  There 
was  no  Vice  President;  but  in  case  of  the  death, 
disability  or  resignation  of  the  President,  the 
presiding  officer  became  President  until  the 
end  of  the  term,  or  the  convening  of  the  repre- 
sentative?, when  a  president   was    elected    by 


22 


Utopia  ;  or,  the  History  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


them.     Next  to  him  were  the  members    of  the 
Representatives  in  order  of  their  age. 

The  national  judges  were  one  to  ever)'  six 
hundred  thousand  citizens,  and  were  elected  for 
a  term  of  four  periods. 

But  the  judges  at  the  end  of  the  judiciary  sec- 
tion were  warned  as  follows:  "Judges  of  the 
national  courts  are  warned  against  making  dis- 
cussions on  trifling  and  technical  grounds  or 
against  considering  cases  of  no  importance  to 
the  Nation  and  interfering  with  the  adminis- 
tration of  justice  by  the  lower  courts. 

Section  third  was  on  limitations  of  legislation. 
Liberty  of  speech,  religion,  of  the  press,  of 
public  assembling,  of  free  travel,  or  of  bearing 
arms  in  any  way,  could  not  be  interfered  with. 
No  private  debt  could  be  made  binding,  but 
the  laborer  was  to  he  considered  as  part  owner 
of  the  property  until  his  or  her  wages  were  paid. 
No  public  debt  could  ever  be  contracted  under 
any  circumstances;  nor  could  the  volume  of  the 
currency  be  increased  or  decreased  over  thirty 
royars  per  capita.  No  aid  or  countenance 
could  be  given  to  any  religious  institution,  edu- 
cational college  or  school,  or  any  individual  for 
any  purpose,  object  or  service,  real  or  imaginary. 

Section  nine  provided  that  no  law  increasing 
the  salary  of  any  public  officer,  elected  or  ap- 
pointed, could  be  passed  without  the  consent 
of  two-thirds  of  the  people.  No  law  could  be 
passed  thai  was  over  two  hundred  words  long  or 
that  embraced  more  than  one  subject. 

No  law  operating  especially  in  one  district  or 
section  of  the  country  could  be  passed  without 
the  consent  of  that  district  or  section. 

Article  four  treated  of  public  property,  and 
section  first  declared  that  "  land  is  the  common 
property  of  the  people,  and  with  the  water,  or 
anything  that  the  people  may  consider  public, 
shall  bsl.'^.r.g  to  the  people."  Citizens  by  culti- 
vating a  certain  portion  of  the  land  might  culti- 
vate a  certain  small  amount  of  land  ecjual  to 
about  six  acres.  Communities  could  control 
land  up  to  about  one  thousand  acres,  according 
to  the  number  of  persons  in  a  community.  No 
water  or  land  could  be  leased  or  granted  to  any 
individual  or  corporation  for  service  or  con- 
struction for  the  government.  Section  five  pro- 
vided that  all  highways,  rivers,  means  of  trans- 
portation, or  anything  of  national  importance, 
should  be  in  the  hands  of  the  people. 


Article  five  treated  of  political  divisions,  by 
which  the  republic  was  divided  into  districts  of 
as  nearly  as  possible,  one  hundred  and  forty- 
four  thousand  citizens  in  each.  Every  district 
had  a  district  judge  and  a  council  or  legislature 
elected  by  the  people.  The  districts  were 
again  divided  into  districts  of  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible twelve  thousand  each,  and  had  a  justice 
who,  in  like  manner,  was  elected  by  vote  of 
the  people.  The  people  of  a  district  had 
the  veto  power  over  the  acts  of  the  council  or 
legislature  or  tie  decisions  of  the  district  judge, 
the  same  as  the  people  of  the  republic  in  na- 
tional affairs. 

Article  six    regulated    methods    of    election, 
and  provided  that  for  any  office  where  thenuir-    ,. 
ber  entitled  to  hold  the   office    exceeded    one';*^^^ 
such  as  a  district  council,  national  judge,  or  na-      '' 
ional  representative,  the  citizens  were  entitled 
to  but  one  vote  for  one  candidate;  with  an    al- 
ternate.    The  alternate  could  only    be    valid 
when  the  first  choice  proved  to  have  t   surplus 
of  votes  over  the  number  necessary  to   election 
or  to  lack  the  required  number.     The  candi- 
dates who  received  the  highest  number  of  votes 
cast  were  to  be  declared  elected  to  the  num- 
ber required. 

When  there  was  but  one  entitled  to  hold  an 
office  such  as  president,  district  judge,  or  divi- 
sion justice  there  was  but  one  vote  and  no  al- 
ternate; the  candidate  receiving  the  plurality 
of  votes  being  elected. 

When  in  a  list  of  those  candidates  receiving 
the  lowest  number  was  duplicated  the  native 
born  candidate  was  first  in  rank  over  one  of  for- 
eign birth. 

But  if  both  v^'ere  natives  or  both  foreigners, 
the  elder  took  precedence.  This  case  however 
very  rarely  occurred. 

It  was  especially  declared  that  the  people  of 
the  republic  were  to  be  the  final  appeal  on  any 
case,  question,  discussion,  law,  or  whatever 
might  be  of  national  interest.  And  all  officials 
were  warned  that  they  were  the  servants  of  the 
people,  and  that  the  nation  could  only  keep 
its  dignity  by  the  prosperity  of  the  people  and 
tbe  simplicity  of  its  officers  and  servants. 

The  last  section  of  the  constitution  read : 

"  This  constitution  may  be  amended,  changed 
or  overruled  at  any  time  by  the  people,  and  the 
passing  of  any  law  by  the   vote  of  the  people 


Utopia;  or,  the  History  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


^16 


shall  make  it  above  any  constitutional  provision 
whatever.  The  people  are  to  be  the  rulers  of 
themselves." 

Approved  by  the  people  by  direct  ballot  by 
a  majority  of  three  millions  of  citizens  (whole 
number  of  citizens  about  ten  millions),  on  the 
38th  day  of  the  fifth  month,  third  period  of  the 
second  circle  of  liberty. 

Of  course  as  time  went  on  several  important 
changes  were  made  in  the  constitution,  and 
when  made  were  simply  inserted  in  the  articles 
and  sections  where  they  belonged.  The  voting 
was  very  simple,  and  the  tickets  rarely  consisted 
of  over  a  dozen  candidates.  An  election  of 
the, Nation  generally  took  place  at  a  different 
tj^e  from  the  election  of  the  districts.  The 
offices  to  be  filled  were  photo-printed  on  oval 
ballots  from  three  inches  to  one  foot  long  and 
about  three  inches  wide.  The  citizen  voting 
had  to  write  the  names  of  the  candidates  under 
the  printed  titles,  and  any  number  of  citizens 
could  demand  to  see  the  ballots. 

A  citizen  was  not  obliged  to  write  in  his  or 
her    hand-writing  the  names  of   the   candidates 
desired,  but    could   disguise  their   hands.     On 
voting  the  citizen  wrote  his  or  her   name  op- 
posite  their  name    on    the  Register,  and  thus 
proved  their  eligibility  as  well  as  prevented  any 
fraud.     The  election  usually  occupied  two  days; 
but  the  polls  were  open  about  six  hours  daily, 
and  then  only  before  and  after  working  hours, 
that  by  strict  enforcement  of  law  could   never 
exceed  six  hours  out  of  their  days  and  nights  of 
thirty  hours.     It  was  considered  a  disgrace  not 
to  vote,    and    a   citizen    whose   name   was   not 
written  in  the  register  during  an  election   had 
to  give  some   valid   reason  for  the   omission,  as 
well  as  pay  a  fine.      Any    citizen    who    without 
such  a  reason  did  not  vote  a   certain  number  of 
times  in  succession  was  deprived  of  citizenship, 
and  was   considered   a  foreigner,    the  citizen- 
ship only  being  acquired    by  a  continued   resi- 
dence   the  same  number  of  years  as  requiied 
for   the  foreigner  to    become  a    citizen.     Any 
representative    of     the  -people,    either  on   the 
judge's  bench    or    in   the   national  representa- 
tives, who  did  not  vote  on  three  bills,  or  was 
absent   more  than  one  day  in  a  session,  lost  his 
or  her  seat,  and  the  one  standing  next  on  the 
list  of  candidates  at  the  last  election  took  the 
place. 


For  a  representative  or  other  "servant  of  the 
people,"  as  they  were  called,  to  thus  lose  their 
[)lace  meant  political  death  as  well  as  social 
disgrace.  It  was  looked  upon  in  the  same  light 
as  we  would  regard  an  officer  who  resigned  dur- 
ing a  battle.  When  the  representatives  met,' 
they  went  to  work  like  so  many  industrious 
clerks,  and  for  a  member  to  speak  over  ten 
minutes,  unless  a  very  able  and  highly  respect- 
ed citizen,  meant  immediate  voting  down. 
Order  was  observed,  and  during  the  session  the 
representatives  made  very  little  noise.  If  any 
member  on  any  question  spoke  over  half  an 
hour,  no  matter  how  highly  respected,  someone 
would  rise  and  notify  the  representative  that 
there  were  plenty  of  steps,  public  parks  and 
temples  of  science  in  the  city  of  Liberia,  where 
the  people  as  well  as  the  representatives  would 
be  pleased  to  listen  after  working  hours. 

At  first  when  the    constitution  was  adopted, 
it  was  necessary  to  keep  a  large  force  of  police 
in  the  cities  to  defend  citizens  and  to  see  that 
municipal    laws  were    not    overridden,  and  the 
justice's  court   was  kept   quite  busy;    but  these 
conditions  quickly  died  away  as  individuals  were 
absorbed    into  conui-mnities.     For  a  person  to 
be  attacked  and   robbed  was  of  such    unusual 
occurrence  that  often  for  years  a  justice  would 
have    no  such   case  to  try.     Murder    was  very 
rare,  but   sometimes  did   occur  under  extreme 
aggravation.     Arbitration    between   individuals 
and   communities   became  the   most    common 
manner  of  settling  differences  when  the  efforts 
of  friends  could  not  obtain  satisfaction  to  both 
•parties.      If   arbitration    was  once    decided  on 
there  could  be  no  appeal  to  law,  as  it  was  con- 
sidered better  that  a  little   injustice  be  suffered 
than    that  the  courts  should  be    overburdened 
with  petty  cases. 

So  the  people  gradually  found  themselves 
with  closed  courts,  no  police  except  night  watch- 
men for  fire,  so  little  law  that  it.  was  hardly 
heard  of,  but  plenty  of  justice.  The  streets  were 
lighted  by  electric  lami)sthat  cost  comparatively 
little.  The  citizens  voted  at  the  elections  or 
moved  about  in  daily  intercourse,  with  no  jars 
or  fights.  The  prisons  were  simply  workshops 
and  asylums,  and  about  three  hundred  years 
after  the  adoption  of  their  constitution  a  prison 
was  almost  unknown. 

At  first  a  murderer  was  put  to  work  and  paid 


24 


Utopia;  or,  the  Historv  of  ax  Extinct  Planet, 


full  wages  for  his  services,  being  charged  with 
his  board.  The  savings  were  divided  between 
the  family  of  the  murdered  person,  if  they  re- 
quired it,  for  a  certain  time,  and  the  prisoner. 
Other  criminals  were  treated  the  same.  After 
'a  given  time  more  liberty  was  granted  them; 
and  if  for  many  years  a  murderer  acquitted  him- 
self of  any  criminal  nature  by  industry  and  good 
behavior,  he  could  be  pardoned  by  a  vote  of 
the  people  in  the  district  where  he  committed 
the  crime.  But  for  a  second  murder  the  crim- 
inal was  branded  in  the  forehead  and  sent  to  a 
valley,  from  which  escape  was  impossible.  They 
generally  preferred  to  breathe  a  poisonous  gas 
and  die,  however,  rather  than  go  to  the  valley, 
the  option  being  usually  accorded  to  them. 

The  population  of  Liberia  never   numbered  ! 
more  than  thirty-five  millions  of  people,  and  at  I 
the  time  of  the  adoption  of  the  "  last  constitu-i 
tion,"  as  it  was  called,  the  population  numbered  I 
about   twenty-five   millions.     For  about  three  j 
centuries   they   slowly  increased  to   thirty  mill-  ' 
ions,  notwithstanding  the  changing  conditions 
of  the  planet.     For  about  a  thousand  years  they 
held  their  number  pretty  well;  but  at  last  they 
began  to  slowly  lose  ground.     Hardly  perceiv- 
ing it  at  first,  they  began  to  realize  it  after  a  ! 
while. 

The  representatives  in  meeting  passed  appro 


priation  bills  and  one  or  two  laws  necessary  to 
.start  some  public  work.  This  they  did  on  the 
first  and  second  day.  On  the  third  day,  after 
;  waitingto  see  if  anything  further  was  to  be  done, 
they  generally  adjourned.  To  sit  over  a  week 
of  five  working  days  was  very  unusual,  and  to 
;  hold  a  session  six  weeks  was  of  as  much  import- 
ance to  their  history  as  war  is  to  us. 

The  main  business  of  the  government  was  to  • 
construct  aqueducts  and  keep  up  the  highways 
and  railroads.  Water  was  the  most  difficult 
thing  to  obtain;  but  by  the  most  skillful  con- 
struction of  aqueducts  and  reservoirs,  and  the 
running  of  tunnels  into  the  very  hearts  of  the 
mountains,  a  sufficient  quantity  was  obtaibedto 
satisfy  all  requirements.     District  and  natio\nai. 


bodies  of  representatives  concerned  themselves^ A 


j  with  such  matters  alone.  The  people  needed 
no  laws,  and  what  few  questions  did  come  up 
were  decided  without  looking  at  the  constitu- 
tion or  any  book  of  law,  justice  alone  weighing 
in  her  scales  the  issue. 

In  spite  of  the  lowering  ocean,  the  rising 
mountains,  the  valleys  filling  \Yith  precipices, 
the  abandoned  cities  and  the  falling  rivers,  the 
people  grew  in  intelligence,  though  standing 
almost  still  in  mechanics.  They  fought  Nature 
with  heroic  spirit,  and  looked  her  square  in  the 
face. 


\) 


V4 


^-.> 


*0* 


Jv' 


^y 


s^"^ 


■i^ 


ig>^,T"T 


CHAPTER   VI. 

The  stars  shall  fade  away,  the  sun  himself 
Grow  dim  with  age,  and  nature  sink  in  years  ; 
But  thou  shah  flourish  in  immortal  youth. 
Unhurt  amid  the  war  of  clfments, 
The  wreck  of  matter  and  the  crush  of  worlds." 


Early  in  the  dawn  of  civilization  the  idea  of 

a  future  life  was  entertained  by  many  people. 

And   even  before,  when    man  was  a  wild   and 

nak<d   savage,  he  worshiped  the  spirits  of  his 

^■/^<4stors   and    bowed  to  men  immortalized  in 

ptradition  as  gods. 

But  the  centuries  failed  to  bring  any  more 
than  a  simple  hope  and  belief  to  questioning 
man.  The  priests  kept  the  people  in  ignorance, 
and  only  used  this  hope  to  enslave  their  follow- 
ers. 

In  Liberia,  after  the  establishment  of  the  last 
constitution,  the  people  drifted  into  a  hopeful, 
calm  and  brave  materialism.  So  disgusted  were 
they  by  the  acts  of  the  priests  in  past  ages  that 
all  forms  of  belief  in  immortality  were  classed 
with  the  dead  superstitions  of  the  past. 

Early  in  the  history  of  the  nation  as  a  repub- 
lic, messengers  from  the  other  side  of  life  had 
made  themselves  manifest  to  mortals  in  the  flesh. 
Slowly  but  surely  the  glad  tidings  spread.  In 
spite  of  mistakes  and  dissensions,  of  fraud  and 
ignorance,  the  fact  that  man  existed  after  death 
continued  to  be  demonstrated.  At  first  the  va- 
rious religious  sects  of  the  civilized  nations  bit- 
terly opposed  the  idea,  and  not  until  they  were 
about  to  fall  to  pieces  before  the  growing  en- 
lightenment of  the  people  did  the  priesthood 
espouse  immortality  as  a  fact  and  not  merely  as 
a  vague  hope  or  faith. 

But  the  science  of  the  day  continued  its  at- 
tacks on  the  sophistry  of  these  religions  until 
there  was  nothing  left  of  them  to  be  united  by 
but  the  fact  of  immortality.  For  fully  a  cent- 
ury spiritualism  languished  in  the  minds  of  the 
people  of  Liberia  after  the  final  downfal  of  aris- 
tocracy and  priestcraft.  Science,  meanwhile, 
pushed  on  with  rapid  strides  in  material  direc- 
tions, but  refused  to  consider  the  vital  question: 
"  If  a  man  die,  shall  he  live  again  }"     In  all  its 


AllDISON. 

branches  science  was  growing,  and  the  people 
under  the  stimulus  of  liberty  were  progressing 
higher,  and  higher,  toward  a  more  perfect  civ- 
ilization. 

At  length  Spiritualism  once  more  became  a 
subject  of  investigation,  and  science  with  awak- 
ened interest  turned  her  searching   eyes   upon 
its  despised  relation.     The  cool  and  quiet  rea- 
son of  the  intelligent  materialistic  philosophers 
was  slowly  convinced,  and  one  by  one  the  Scien- 
tists of  the  nation  openly  advocated  their  convic- 
tions.    Unimpeded  by  prejudice  and  credulity, 
its  advocates  were   enabled  to  more  successful- 
ly demonstrate  and   prove    to    the  investigators 
this    glorious  philosophy.      Carefully  sounding 
and  considering  each  successive  step,  and  scien- 
tificially  weighing  each  piece  of  evidence,  the  in- 
vestigators became  earnest  advocates.     By  more 
harmonious  conditions  than  existed  when  Spirit- 
ualism was  opposed  by  thechuruh,  better  mani- 
festations were  produced.     The  life  of  the  peo- 
ple was  such  and  the  laws  of  Nature  so  followed 
that   harmony    was    more    prevalent.     People 
were  born  better  and  were  therefore  better  able 
to  grasp  truth,   and  to  bring  forth  spiritualized 
children.      Crime     was    cured    at    its    fountain 
heads  and,  as  a  consequence,  more  and    more 
people  in  each  generation  were  able   to  receive 
immortality  and  not  only    receive  but  often  to 
be  the  means  of  demonstrating    it.     When    the 
faculties  of  mediumship,  psychometry  and  clair- 
voyance became  as  common  as  the  faculty  of 
smelling  once  had  been,  people  had  to  believe, 
had  to  acknowledge  what  was  palpable  to  the 
senses. 

Thus  spirits  were  enabled  to  eventually  make 
themselves  tangible  to  the  material  senses  and 
to  clothe  themselves  temporarily  with  matter  so 
as  to  be  perceptible  to  all.  Materialization  at 
first  in  the  dark  finally  was  produced  in  the  light. 


20 


Utopia  ;  or,  the  History  of  ax  Extinct  Planet. 


but  never  got  to  a  point  where  the  form  was  ac- 
tually the  same  as  the  form  of  the  material  body, 
never  more  than  a  shell  or  representation.  The 
vital  organs  were  not  there,  the  blood  did  not 
pulsate,  but  simply  as  clairvoyance  became  more 
common  the  spirits  became  more  real.  The 
hand  of  the  materialized  spirit  could  be  shaken, 
but  as  the  friend  held  it  the  form  faded  into 
spirit  and  the  grosser  matter  disappeared.  On 
one  occasion  the  friends  met  in  a  large  temple  or 
free  college,  and  before  several  hundred  invited 
friends, many  of  them  scientific  men  and  officials, 
a  seance  was  given  of  great  interest.  Scores  of 
spirits  were  rendered  visible  and  several  ancient 
leaders  and  statesmen  appeared.  One  spoke 
for  a  few  minutes  from  the  rostrum  which  was 
exactly  in  the  center  of  the  building.  After 
this  several  failures  took  place,  because  of  en- 
deavoring to  carry  on  these  seances  before  too 
strange  and  too  large  audiences. 

But  at  last  in  the  national  chamber  of  repre- 
sentives  a  seance  was  given  where  there  appeared 
many  spirits  of  both  sexes  who  had  passed  away 
from  earth  as  leaders  in  either  science  or  liberty. 
The  main  medium  was  simply  slightly  concealed 
by  a  shawl  or  robe  only  as  the  spirit  rose  and 
formed.  The  spirit  would  advance  and  speak 
a  few  words  first  on  one  side  of  the  central  stage 
and  then  gradually  passing  around  to  the  other 
side,  as  was  the  custom.  One  very  venerable 
appearing  spirit  who  had  made  many  discoveries 
in  science  and  who  also  had  been  an  active  de- 
fender of  liberty,  spoke  for  fuPy  twenty  minutes; 
then  faded  before  the  audience  to  a  luminous 
cloud,  reappeared  for  a  moment,  smiled  and 
vanished. 

More  and  more  spiritualzed  became  the  peo- 
ple until  at  every  assembly  the  forms  of  the  de- 
parted appeared  and  eventually  mingled  at 
pleasure  with  the  crowd,  exciting  no  remarkt 
For  as  I  stated,  they  could  always  be  distin- 
guished by  the  peculiar  appearance  of  the  matter 
composing  the  temporary  mask  and  often  disap- 
peared to  coarser  eyes  when  in  the  vicinity  of 
uncongenial  mortals.  The  whole  planet  was 
new  to  the  people  and  patriotism  had  extended 
to  the  entire  globe,  while  humanity  realized  in 
word  and  deed  that  all  were  of  one  family; 
brothers  and  sisters. 

As  the  centuries  went  on  the  population  of 
the  globe  began  to  decrease  in  proportion  as 


the  amount  of  arable  land  contracted.  The 
ocean  grew  smaller  and  deeper,  the  mountains 
higher  and  more  barren,  and  as  a  natural  conse- 
quence man  was  forced  to  follow  the  lowering 
waters.  Science  was  brought  in  and  prolonged 
the  contest  between  man  and  inevitable  law. 
Lakes  were  drained  to  furnish  land,  and  the  rocks 
that  fell  in  avalanches  into  the  deep  valleys  were 
conveyed  away.  By  the  application  of  elec- 
tricity and  various  powerful  explosives,  long 
tunnels  were  driven  into  the  hearts  of  the 
mountains  for  water  and  vast  aqueducts  con- 
veyed it  to  public  reservoirs.  Highways,  that 
often  with  the  aqueducts  ran  through  rminels 
lighted  by  electricity,  were  constructed,  and  o\er 
these  in  swiftly  moving  electric  carriages  the  peci-y 
pie  journeyed  or  conveyed  the  products  of  dif-  ^<^ 
ferent  localities. 

By  the  failure  of  the  water  supply,  the  over- 
whelming of  the  land  by  avalanches  and  the 
increasing  rarity  of  the  atmosphere,  communi- 
ties decreased  in  number  of  inmate^,  and  valley 
after  valley  was  finally  abandoned  by  the  last  of 
its  inhabitants  after  having  been  the  home  of 
their  people  for  centuries.  Not  as  many  lives 
were  lost  by  the  falling  rocks  as  we  might  sup- 
pose; for  science  was  able  to  predict  these 
events,  and  the  people  could  remove  out  of 
danger. 

But  with  the  waning  planet  civilization  did 
not  recede;  on  the  contrary  for  a  considerable 
time  it  advanced.  At  last,  however,  it  was  forced 
to  remain  stationary,  all  the  efforts  of  research 
and  invention  being  devoted  to  its  preservation, 
as  Nature  was  now  against  progress. 

Spiritualism,  hand-in-hand  with  Science,  be- 
came a  universally  acknowledged  philoso[)hy. 
with  the  heroic  war  on  failing  Nature  the  immor- 
tals were  with  the  mortals  giving  words  of  advice, 
of  comfort  and  of  love.  In  the  family  and  in 
the  community  they  were  ever  present  and  recog- 
nized; took  part  in  the  joys  and  s  )rrows  of  their 
loved  ones  and  continued  to  follow  and  to  lead 
upward. 

The  atmosphere  was  always  so  rarified  that 
flying  as  a  means  of  locomotion  was  never  at- 
tained; but  from  the  tops  of  high  mountains, 
by  means  of  a  machine  with  very  broad  wings 
and  a  body  of  gas,  one  or  two  persons  for 
pleasure  were  enabled  to  fly  do7V7i  for  a  few 
miles. 


Utopia;  or,  the  History  of  ax  Extinct  Planet, 


By  a  gigantic  series  of  labors  the  whole  [seo- 
ple  of  the  planet  tunneled  through  a  range  of 
mountains  for  several  miles  and  drained  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  waters  of  the  ocean 
into  the  deep  basin  of  an  ancient  sea,  in  order 
to  make  the  low  plains  around  it  i)roductive. 
In  this  they  did  not  succeed  so  well  as  they  an- 
ticipated; but  still  homes  were  made  for  several 
millions  of  people  in  this  region.  This  drain- 
age so  lowered  the  East  Gulf  that  after  several 
years  of  wonderful  labor  its  waters  were  drained 
and  pumped  nut  and  a  new  valley  created, 
walled  from  the  main  ocean  by  a  mountain  of 
masonry.  But  all  these  labors  rendered  the 
hWn  plateaus  to  the  north  of  Liberia  only  more 
•^xirren  and  un[>roductive.  As  the  new  valleys 
►  were  opened  the  high  jilateaus  were  abandoned, 
and  the  ancient  valleys  were  left  to  black,  tall 
precipices  and  barrenness. 

After  a  few  more  generations  the  entire  poj)- 
ulation  of  Liberia  had  congregated   in  the  one 
valley  of  the  gulf.     The  proud  cities  of  the  by- 
gone centuries  were  left  to  crumble  into  dust, 
and  over  their  ruins  man  could  not  go,   for  the 
vital  air  was  so  thin  and  water  so  scarce  that  it 
was  impossible  to  exist  in  these  cold  and  barren 
regions.      But  beautiful  cities  were  below  them, 
with  hap[)y,  industrious  and  contented  inhabit- 
ants, civilized  and  progressive  as  they  had  been 
for  so  many  centuries.      Science    was   made  to 
war   against    fate,  while  poetry  and  song  made 
harmony  among  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the 
decaying    world.     Art  and  wit    gave  delight  to 
the    eye  and  mind,  and  with  music  was    devel- 
oped to  a  high  degree  of  perfection.     The  voice 
was  cultivated    esi^ecially,  and   with   the  nmsic 
was    remarkably   soft    and    expressive.      Music 
conveyed    ideas    almost  as    defniite  as  if  there- 
had    been  a  language  of  melody.     Vocal  and 
instrumental  music  was  cultivated  in  every  fam- 
ily, and  for  a  party  of    people  to    break   out  in 
joyous    song    was  very   common.     A  party    of 
musicians  would    sing  and    play  in   one    apart- 
ment, the  sound  being   conveyed  to   the   audi- 
ence in   another,  and    seeming  to  come   softly 
from  every  part  of   the  room.     In  their  circles 
bevies  of  spirit  children  would  often  apiiear  in 
spirit  wreaths    from  the  mediums  to  the  ceiling 
and  sing,  while  many  mortals  would  join  softly 
in  the  chorus. 

As  the  population  decreased,  great   difficulty 


was  experienced  in  kee[)ing  ui)  communication 
with  the  isolated  and  smaller  valleys.  When 
the  public  roads  could  no  longer  be  kept  open, 
tunnels  were  constructed,  lighted  by  electricity, 
and  driven  through.  But  these  often  fell  in, 
and  then  electric  signals,  through  wires  or  as 
flashes  in  the  air,  were  utilized  to  convey  intel- 
ligence. Sometimes,  when  possible,  hardy  men 
would  scale  the  mountains;  but  this,  owing  to 
the  rarified  air,  could  not  always  be  done. 

In  one  valley  in  the  eastern  portion  of  Libe- 
ria, great  difficulty  v/as  experienced  in  keeping 
oiK-n  the  tunnel  between  them  and  the  larger 
CTulf  valley.  Once  for  several  years  communi- 
cation was  only  had  by  electric  signals  until  a 
new  tunnel  was  constructed.  But  the  affairs  of 
the  valley  went  on  as  before.  Concerts,  lect- 
ures, meetings  and  circles  were  held  as  usual; 
and  despite  the  failing  energies  of  the  planet, 
the  light  of  civilization  continued  to  shine  in 
l)rilliancy  and  po^ver  as  nature  drifted  death- 
ward. 

Again,  after  enjoying  full  communication  for 
a  few  years,  the  tunnel  was  crushed  in,  and  the 
inhabitants  isolated  from  the  outer  worid. 
Rocks  began  to  fall  from  the  mountains,  and 
fears  were  entertained  of  the  complete  destruc- 
tion of  the  peoi)le  if  relief  was  not  soon  obtained. 
Actidents  and  natural  decrease  had  reduced  the 
inhabitants  to  about  three  hundred,  when  but 
a  century  and  a  half  previously  they  numbered 
several  thousand.  Their  countrymen  worked 
from  the  outside  and  they  from  the  inside;  and 
at  last  after  fifty  years  a  small  tunnel  was  com- 
pleted. The  remaining  inhabitants  fled,  leav- 
ing their  home  to  the  crumbling  rocks  and 
silence. 

This  process  of  abandonment  continued  un- 
til every  country  was  only  represented  by  one 
or  two  valleys.  The  Gulf-valley  of  Liberia 
was  one  of  the  most  productive  and  here  many 
of  the  last  of  nations  fled  and  were  welcomed. 
More  than  one  community,  however,  cut  off 
from  communication  with  their  fellows,  v.ere 
forced  to  give  up  the  fight  and  die  amid  the 
crash  of  falling  mountains,  isolated  and  alone. 

One  of  the  last  places  to  fall  in  ruin  was  the 
valley  of  Sun-land  where  their  lake  had  been. 
The  people  gradually  gathered  into  this  valley, 
and  as  the  water  became  scarce  they  retreated 
all  into  one  small  valley  and  excavated  dwell- 


28 


Utopia;  or,  the  History  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


ings  in  the  mountain  sides  where  the  rock  was 
most  dura  Me.  To  dwell  in  caves  was  impera- 
tive because  of  avalanches;  and  by  carefully 
selecting  the  most  durable  rock  the  cave-dwell- 
ings thus  excavated  lasted  many  generations. 

These  dwellings    were    nicely    fitted  up,  for 
electricity    warmed    and  lighted  them.     From 
the  bark  of  the  few  and  scrubby  trees  that  grew 
in  open  spots  or  in  the  fertile  little  vales,  with 
goat  hair  and  feathers  of  domestic  birds,  cloths 
were    woven    into   various   fabrics.     With   soft 
dyes  these    cloths   were    dyed    in    harmonious 
colors;  and  man,  though  living  in  caves,  once 
more,  as  at  his  origin,  was  civilized  and  happy. 
Glass  houses  were  built  covering  many  acres, 
the  glass  composing  them  being  fully  three  feet 
thick,  very  elastic  and  transparent.     Under  its 
shelter  vegetables  were   raised   by   the  help  of 
electricity.     A  smelting  furnace  furnished  them 
with  aluminum,  and  iron  for  mechanical  uses  was 
secured  from  the  mountain  veins.     Electricity 
was  obtained  from  the  streams  of  water  care- 
fully  stored  for  service.     The  land  was  care- 
fully cultivated  and  all  the  resources  of  waning 
nature  were  used  to  increase  the  happiness  of 
man    and    to    keep   the    flame    of    civilization 
bright. 

By  the  force  of  circumstances  the  people  at 
last  all  gathered  into  one  cave-community  con- 
sisting of  perhaps  two  hundred  and  fifty  per- 
sons— all  remaining  of  a  nation  once  number- 
ing millions.  Here  they  lived  for  several  years, 
only  occasionally  terrified  by  the  avalanches  of 
rock  and  debris  falling  into  their  valley. 

One  day  the  terrible  roar  of  an  approaching 
avalanche  was  heard  as  it  thundered  down  the 
mountain  side,  carrying  all  before  it.  "To 
the  caves!  to  the  caves!"  was  the  cry;  and  all 
outside  hastened  in  and  the  flood  of  rocks  and 
sand  filled  up  high  the  fertile  little  valley.  Sev- 
eral more  followed  and  when  the  inhabitants 
reached  the  surface  they  stood  on  a  mountain 
of  rocky  fragments. 

'Ihe  valley  was  utterly  ruined,  and  it  was 
only  the  matter  of  a  few  weeks  when  famine 
would  stare  them  in  the  face,  and  the  inevitable 
result  would  be  death  in  misery  and  pain  for 
all  in  the  end.  With  courage  they  had  faced 
the  future,  but  now  hope  was  gone  and  death 
was  before  them.  Of  death  they  had  no  fear, 
but  from  torture  they  shrank. 


In  their  large  and  beautiful  lecture-room  the 
entire  community  assembled  to  consider  their 
course,  and  with  them  their  friends  of  another 
yet  the  same  world  were  cheering  their  friends 
in  their  extremity  with  words  of  love  and  hope. 
After  carefully  considering  every  possible 
means  of  escape,  it  was  almost  unanimously 
concluded  that  the  only  relief  from  lingering 
starvation  was  immediate  death.  A  few  could 
have  lived  in  one  little  valley  very  difficult  to 
reach;  but  it  was  only  for  a  few  years  that  even 
this  was  possible.  So  all  voted  for  death  and 
peace,  although  the  attending  spirits  were  loth 
to  have  it  so.  Still,  as  nothing  else  could  be 
done  they  did  not  strenuously  oppose  it         ,^ 

On  the  floor  of  the  beautiful  hall  mats  were  ,- 
spread  and  the  chemists  of  the  community  in  ,\, 
an  adjoining  room,  from  certain  ingredients, 
manufactured  a  poisonous  vapor.  The  beauti- 
ful chorus  of  molody  came  in  from  a  group  of 
singers  in  still  another  room;  and  as  it  died 
away  it  was  caught  up  by  angel  voices  bidding 
welcome  to  the  mortals  about  to  join  them. 

Side  by  side  lay  or  sat  husband  and  wife, 
father  and  son,  mother  and  daughter,  brother 
and  sister,  lover  and  lover,  softly  conversing  or 
singing  as  the  last  moments  approached.  Fear- 
lessly they  had  lived,  and  now  as  fearlessly  they 
passed  to  a. continued  existence. 

From  the  farther  end  of  the  hall  came  a  blue 
vapor  that  hid  in  a  curling  fog  the  statuaiy  and 
pictures  on  the  walls.  It  enveloped  the  near- 
est persons  in  its  mists,  and  inhaling  its  per- 
fume they  clasped,  smiled,  kissed,  kissed  and 
slept. 

Slowly  the  vapor  passed  toward  the  end  of 
the  hall,  and  the  last  to  close  their  eyes  were 
two  lovers  that,  with  their  arms  clasped  togeth- 
er, lay  by  a  rippling  stream  in  a  recess  of  the 
wall. 

Those  who  first  slept  arose  as  the  last  sank  to 
rest  and  met  the  glad  Angel  of  Deliverance, 
welcomed  by  the  friends  gone  before,  and  turn- 
ing to  greet  those  crowding  in  their  footsteps. 

The  electric  lights  shone  on  the  forms  so  cold 
and  beautiful  until  the  supply  gave  out,  save 
one,  which  kept  vigil  for  many  weeks;  but  it 
too  ceased  finally  to  burn;  and  the  sepulcher 
of  the  last  of  a  nation  was  in  endless  darkness 
as  their  immortal  spirits  were  in  endless  light. 
But  this  was  not  the  very  last  of  humanity  on 


Utopia;  or,  thf.  History  of  an  Extinct  Planet, 


29 


this  planet.  By  natural  decrease  and  accident 
the  remainder  were  gradually  extinguished,  and 
hun-Miity  was  eventually  only  remaining  in  the 
valley  of  the  gulf  in  Liberia.  By  gradual  steps 
they  \vere  reduced  to  about  seven  thousand 
only  at  the  time  of  the  end  of  the  Sunland  peo- 
ple, of  which  they  were  informed  by  spirit 
fre'nds.  As  the  changes  went  on  they  were 
compelled  to  resort  to  cave  dwellings,  and  in 
nearly  every  way  to  follow  the  same  path  as  did 
the  Sunland  community. 

But  they  did  not  shrink  or  mourn.     Life  was 

full  of  i)leasure;  love  and   joy  were  there  in  all 

their  varied    forms.     Friends    from    the    other 

,ho/"came  through  the  thiirveil  between  mor 

and  immortal  at  pleasure,  and  toil  and  strife 

,vere  unknown. 

Wonderful    were   the  labors  of  these  peopl 
to -preserve  their  existence  on  the  failing  planet. 
By  means  of  electric   machines   and   railroads 
vast  masses  of  debris  falling  into  the  valley  were 
crushed  or  removed,  and  thus  soil  for  cultiva- 
tion   obtained.     From    the  simplest  fungi  and 
lichens,  mushrooms  and  various  products,  their 
chemists  produced  delicate  and  nutricious  sub- 
stances; and. from  the  disintegrating  rocks  they 
obtained  fertile  elements  for  the  sustenance  of 
their  crops  and  gardens.     With  science  as  a  serv 
ant,  they  turned  every  possible  thing  to  advant- 
age, and  lived  in  ease  and  even   luxury.     All 
shared  alike  and  no  one  shirked  or  monopolized. 
Money    was   unknown    and    greed    forgotten. 
Eciuaiity,  liberty  and  justice  reigned  amid  them 

;:11.  ■  , 

But  in  spite  oi    ihcir  utmost   endeavors  they 
were  reduced  by  accident  and  decay  to  a  mere 
i-indful      They  lived  in  one  cave  amid  the  cha- 
otic ruins  of   what  had  once  been  a  fertile  and 
populous  valley.     Above  them   lay  vast,  bleak] 
and  silent  [.lateaus  tliat  for  centuries  had  been 
untrodden  bv  man  or  beast.     Down  the  sides 
of  theinounlains  rushed  the  avalanche,  or  into 
the  deep   crevices  fell  the    loosened  masses  of 
rocks.     In  the  air  tlew  no  birds;  in  the  tideless, 
stagnant   sea,  scarce  a  hundred    miles   across, 
swam  no  iish.     On  the  vast  desert  where  once 
had  been  the  ocean,  wandered   no  human  soui 
orlivedno  creature.    Of  animals  none  remained 
on  the    planet  save   those    protected   by    man. 
And  in  this  last  community  they  had  but  five 
or  six  goats,  that  fed  upon  mosses  and    shrubs 


that  by  hard  clambering  they  obtained  upon  the 
mountain  sides.  Then  the  planet,  so  devoid  of 
Hfe  made  it  more  difficult  for  the  immortals  to 
communicate;  and  only  by  great  efforts  could 
they  influence  their  friends  sufficiently  to  have 
them  realize  their  presence. 

Even    these   managed   to   live  and  learn  in 
pleasure,    for   they   had   science   and   studies 
books,   telescopes,  and  various   instruments  ot 
science.     Notwithstanding  the  appallmg  draw- 
backs to  which  they  were  subjected,  they  man- 
aged to  make  progress  in  some  directions, 
"when  the  inhabitants  were  reduced  to   only 
four  families,  one  girl  refused  to   marry.     Her 
cousin  was  too    much  like   her  in^  many  ways, 
and  she  decided  it  was  wrong  to  bring  anymore 
children    into   the    world.     He  in  a  few  years 
died  t)f  severe  injuries  received  from  a  fall,  and 
she    soon  "followed.     In  a  few  years  only  one 
pair   remained,  and  their  child,  with  the  aged 
grandfather.     They   had    been  obliged  to  con- 
ttruct  a  new  cave,  and  because  of  lack  of  elec- 
tric power  and  numbers,  the  cave  was  small  and 
not  very  well    finished.      Before    their   parents 
died  it  had  been  decided  to  all  die  by  claspmg 
hands  and  receiving  a  shock  of  electricity;  but 
at  the  last  moment  the  wife  refused.     She  re- 
fused even  now  to  give  up,  and  contended  that 
it  was  their  duty  to  live  until  the  natural  end. 

One  day  when  the  young  man  was  climbing 
over  the  mountains  a  terrific  avalanche  filled  uu 
the  little  valley   and  buried  him  far  beneath  a 
mountain   of  debris.     The  three  remaining  m 
the  cave  were  unhurt,  and  leaving  the  baby  the 
'  mother  and  the  old  man  went  to  search  for  the 
husband.     He  had  agreed  with  his  wife,  when 
living,  that  if  he  was  accidentally  killed  at  any 
timerhe  would  come  to  her  in  spirit  immedi- 
ately.    But  so  crushed,  and  so  deei)  was  the  . 
body  in  Che  fallen  rocks  that  it  was  many  hours 
before' he  was  able  to  separate   his  spirit  and 

find  his  way. 

The  old  man  was  confident  the  husbanu  was 
no  more;  but  the  wife  was  sure  he  would  have 
come  to  her  if  he  was  dead,  and  frantically 
I  searched  for  him.  The  spirit  friends,  owing  to 
the  convulsion  of  tlic  planet  from  the  effects  of 
some  vast  falling  of  mountains,  were  unable  to 
clearly  appear,  and  she  would  not  listen  to  them 
anyway.  The  aged  father  searched  till  night 
1  and  then,  so  changed  wn.  the  anpearance  of  the 


80 


Utopia;  or,  the  History,  of  an  Extinct  Planet. 


valley  that  he  lost  his  way.  In  groping  along 
he  passed  near  the  edge  of  a  crevice  in  the  rock 
which  treacherously  gave  way,  precipitating  him 
into  the  gulf  below,  killing  him  instantly.  To 
his  daughter  he  was  soon  able  to  appear  and  he 
told  her  all.  Then,  knowing  beyond  a  doubt 
that  her  husband  and  her  father  were  both  dead, 
she  returned  in  the  morning  to  her  forgotten 
and  famishing  child. 

The  high  mountains  now  sent  down  vast  ava- 
lanches, and  for  hours  the  terrible  roar  was  all 
to  be  heard.  The  woman  lay  in  a  stupor,  and 
in  a  (cw  hours  passed  to  the  life  of  endlessness 
and  left  her  nursing  babe. 

A  calm  succeeded  the  storm;  and  though  the 
electric  light  had  gone  out,  a  diviner  light  shone 
in  the  little  cave;  for  many  spirits  were  await- 
ing the  spirit  of  the  last  human  being  on  the 
planet.  The  childsoon  rested  in  its  mother's 
arms,  and  humanity  no  longer  was  bound  to  the 
dying  world. 


For  ages  the  planet  continued  to  exist  after 
the  departure  of  man.  All  signs  of  animal  and 
vegetable  life  quickly  followed  humanity;  and 
the  ocean,  from  a  sultry  pool  in  a  desert  of 
sand,  into  chasms  slowly  sank,  leaving  only  a 
mass  of  salt.  Rain  had  long  ceased  to  fall, 
even  in  the  finest  mist;  and  in  due  time  the  at- 
mosphere disappeared,  after  the  last  drop  of 
water  sank  in  the  hungry  sands. 

The  planet  was  a  vast,  lifeless  desert  of  black 
mountains,  towering  tens  of  miles  high  above 
sandy  seas  or  gloomy  valleys.  Everywhere 
death  and  desolation  reigned  supreme;  and  at 
last  even  the  great  globe  itself  seemed  to  die. 
For  the  attraction  of  gravitation  between  its 
particles  failed  to  keep  them  together,  and  the 
planet  separating  into  innumerable  fragments, 
whirled  back  by  degrees  to  the  parent  sun  as 
flaming  comets  and  bursting  meteors.  Many 
in  their  headlong  course  came  within  the  at- 
traction of  the  earth;  and  where,  as  in  more 
than  one  instance,  huge  meteors  fell  with  fear- 
ful force,  great  changes  took  place  in  its  phys- 
ical conditions  that  modern  Science  as  yet  fails 
to  adequately  account  for. 

Again  was  1  on  my  own  earth  and  Psycho  be- 
side me  was  ready  to  depart.  Gravely  he  an- 
swered my  many  and  eager  questions  and  re- 
ceived my  thanks. 


"Son  of  Earth,"  said  he;  "you  have  seen 
the  life  of  a  planet  from  infancy  to  dissolution. 
Rapidly  have  I  shown  to  you  the  various  stages 
of  development  and  decline  of  life  with  the 
civilization  of  humanity.  As  a  rule  the  larger 
a  planet  the  slower  but  the  higher  its  develop- 
ment. This  planet  we  have  seen  was  developed 
far  in  advance  of  your  earth  to-day;  but  before 
it  had  got  well  on  toward  perfection  the  energies 
of  mind  and  material  science  were  expended  in 
keeping  the  lamp  of  civilization  burning,  and  in' 
securing  the  future  of  man.  But  with  your  earth 
the  altitude  of  civilization  that  will  be  reached 
far  transcends  your  comprehension  or  belief. 

"  Your  descendants  will  have  aerial  navigittion 
and  go  from  point  to  point  at  a  speed  that  novj  " 
would  be  incredible.  People  of  separate  conr^ 
tinents  will  then  be  neighbors,  and  the  whole 
world  be  of  one  nation  and  of  one  language, 
because  of  the  close  relation  which  people  will 
be  brought  into  by  means  of  science  and  edu- 
cation. Means  of  communication  will  be  found 
between  planet  and  planet,  and  many  other 
things  as  incredible  to  your  ears  will  come  to  be 
everyday  occurrences.  Methods  of  producing 
food  will  be  discovered  that  will  render  only 
healthful  and  pleasant  labor  necessary.  Gov- 
ernment will  only  be  an  administration  of  pub- 
lic improvements,  mental  and  physical.  Man 
in  relation  to  his  fellows  will  be  entirely  con- 
trolled by  his  innate  sense  of  justice;  and  as  the 
brutes  disappear,  so  will  brutality  die.  The 
boundary  between  the  world  of  matter  and  the 
world  of  spirit  (which  is  but  matter  refined)  will 
fade  away.  '  Spirits  will  walk  as  with  mortals 
one,'  and  earth  and  heaven,  so  close  together, 
will  have  no  separating  veil  of  ignorance  and 
sin.  And  when  your  globe  goes  to  feed  the  .ires 
of  the  sun,  humanity  will  still  exist  in  countless 
globes  around  life-giving  suns,  learning  and  pro- 
gressing. And  those  who  have  fought  the  bat- 
tles of  life  on  the  [)lanets  will  continue  to  learn 
of  the  wonders  of  Nature  throughout  the  aeons 
of  a  glad  eternity.  Son  of  Earth,  for  a  time 
farewell!" 

Psycho  disappeared   as    mysteriously   as   he 
came;  and  I  was  left  to  ponder  and  to  write. 

"  End  there  is  none  to  universe  of  God 
Lo  !  also  there  is  no  beginning." 

Alfred  Denton  Cridoe. 


r 


r 


"Voting  not  Representation," 

IJy  ALFRED  CKlDllE, 

Shows  that  the  people  do  NOT  make  the  laws,  as 
commonly  assumed,  and  are  therefore  not  bound  to 
obey  such  as  conflict  with  natural  rights;  a  cl^ar  nf-,d 
simple  remedy  is  defined  and  shown  to  lie  the  only 
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tific  politics  in  a  nutshell.  The  second  cditioit  in 
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Stockton,  Cal. 

"The  People's  Power;  or,  How  to  Vviold' 
the  Ballot," 

I'y  SIMEON   STETSON, 

I'rovcs  completely  that  our  "  representative"  system, 
so  called,  is  not  representation  at  all  and  outlines 
some  of  the  remedies.  Price  20  cents:  eight  copies 
Si  .00,  postage  paid.  Address  the  author  at  S.  \\]<m 
D,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Rellgio-PlillosopliicalJouniiil, 

77/1?  Exponent  of  Modern  Spiriiitalistn. 

Published  weekly  at  92  La  Salle  St.,  Chi—-    Mi., 
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Works  of  the  Late  Prof.  Wm.Donton 

OUR  PLANET;  ITS  PAST  AND 
FUTURE.  A  thorough,  instrur- 
tive  and  interesting  work  on  (i- 
ology;   [)rice $1   50 

IS  DARWIN  RIGHT;  Or  the  Oriuin 
of  Man.  A  concise  scientifii  \>xc- 
sentation  of  the  latest  facts  of 
Evolution  and  the  Origin  of  Man; 
price 1   25 

THE  SOUL  OF  THINGS,  3  Vols.         ; 
Interesting  works  on  the  new  "sci- 
ence of  Psychometry  that- instruct 
and  astonish;  price,  per  vol 1  50 

WHAT  IS  HE  ?     A  careful  and  can- 
did examination  of  the  Life  antl 
Teachings  of  Jesus  of   Nazareth;       \ 
price 1   2i" 

RADICAL  RHYMES;  price 1   25 

IRRECONCILABLE      RECORDS; 

Or  Genesis  and  Geology;  cloth.  .        50 
Paper 25 

Coninion  Sense  Thoughts  on  the  Bible  10 

Is  Spiritualism  True 10 

The  Deluge  in  the  Light  of  Modern 

Science 10 

What  is  Right.? 10 

Sermons  from  Shakespeare 10 

The  Pocasset  Tragedy. .  . 10 

W'ho  Killed  Mary  Stanard 10 

Garrison  in  Heaven 10 

God   in   the   Light  of    Science.     His 

il.ast  published  work 10 
dress,       MRS.  E.   M.   F.   DENTON, 

Wellesley,  Mass. 

JVIRS.  A.  S.  WINCHESTER, 

PSYCHOMETRIST, 

359  Tenth  St.,  Oakland,  Cal.  ! 

Mrs.  Winchester  has  been  uniformly  successful  in  the 
psychometrization  of  Native  Metals,  Ores,  Minerals,  Wa- 
ters, Letters,  Photographs,  Clothing,  etc. 

Terms,  by  letter,  $3.00;  personally,  S2. 

ALFRED  DEJMTOJM  CRIDGE, 

PSYCHOMKTRISTT, 

Son  of  the  late  Mrs.  Annie  Denton  Cridge,  and 
nephew  of  the  late  Prof.  William  Denton,  possessing 
the  faculty  of  Psychometry,  Intensified  by  Inherit- 
ance, will  delineate  character  by  letter  or  lock  of 
hair,  examine  minerals  for  the  location  of  mines, 
veins,  etc.  Terms,  $2. 00  by  letter.  Address, 
A.  D.  CRIDGE, 
377  Tenth  St.,  Oakland,  Cal. 


